Becoming Higurashi
by jessylane318
Summary: The adventure was over for her, or so she thought, until her and her little brother fell down the well and into a world of ninja.
1. Prologue

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome Higurashi leaned against the temple shed that housed a strange and decrepit old well. The thing had been around for centuries, once used as a place to dump the bodies of dead demons; it had earned the name bone-eater well for a reason.

She sighed and stared at the thing, taking in the musty smells around her.

How could such a simple thing cause so much trouble?

"Kagome?" asked a small voice to her right. She looked back to see her little brother standing slightly in the doorway, his face worrisome and pale. He hated going in here.

Scared some monster would pop out and try and gobble him up. She didn't fault his reasoning, as that was what had happened to her almost three years ago—the start of the adventures.

"Yes Souta?" she asked patiently, fiddling with the rosary in her hands.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I was just thinking," she smiled to him, one of those fake ones that seemed to cause creases against her eyes. "It's strange to think all of those adventures are over. I guess I never really thought it would end…"

Souta was frowning again, like he always did when she spoke of the past. At eleven he had much less pity for moping and felt the answer to all of her problems was simply to get up and move on.

"You should go on a date or something sis, you know my friend has an older brother-"

"No thanks," she cut him off, trying not to roll her eyes. Her grandfather was bad enough, trying to set her up with the neighboring shrine's workers, who turned out to be in his late thirties, there was no way she was letting her little brother try as well.

His eye twitched, and the famous Higurashi temper was coming out at last.

"Jeez, what do you want to do, just sit around in this musty old hut for eternity? You said it yourself, it's over, move on!"

She growled at him, clutching the beads in her hand.

"It's not that simple!"

"Yes it is!" he retorted, his brown eyes flashing. And suddenly, before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed the rosary from her grasp. Stepping away quickly, he held it up higher, taunting as she rose to her own feet. "InuYasha's not coming back Kagome. Move on."

Anger coursed through her body and she stepped forward menacingly.

"Give that back."

"No, not until you promise not to sit around her moping!"

"I am not moping, and it's none of your business anyways you brat!"

She swiped at the beads, but he moved back quickly dancing around the rim of the well. She felt some of her anger dissipate as he edged closer and closer to the well.

"Souta, be careful, you'll slip."

"Not until you promise!"

She wanted to growl in frustration and moved forward again, except this time, when he stepped back, his foot slipped on the uneven wood, and she watched in horror as he began to fall backwards.

"SOUTA!" she screamed, not even thinking as instincts kicked in and she jumped to his rescue, grabbing his hand even as he fell. However, unaccustomed to his weight, she couldn't steady her own self, and felt her knees rub against the splintered wood even as he pulled her plummeting down.

However, before they hit the bottom, a deep green light floated around them, consumed them, and swallowed them whole.


	2. Part I: Learning Higurashi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta groaned when he awoke, blinking back the tears in his eyes. Everything _hurt_, and he struggled to open his eyes and breathe with the heavy burden against his chest. What had happened? All he remembered was his sister moping about in the dusty well house and then taking that awful rosary she never let down…

Oh, but then he had fallen, and she had fallen with him.

He tried to shift, but the crushing weight hurt.

"Ugh…" moaned a voice atop him, and he felt something shift, pressing against his abdomen and into his bladder.

"Oww, get off me you fat ass!" he wheezed out, feeling an elbow dig into his thigh.

He heard a quick intake of breath and felt his sister scrambling away, though not before smacking his head.

"Don't swear at me! It was your fault for falling."

"Whatever," he mumbled, trying to sit up in the crowded space. They were at the bottom of the well, and he had seen the green light before everything had gone dark. He looked up and found Kagome chewing on her lip, clearly disturbed.

"What's wrong?"

She gave him a heated glare.

"You idiot, look what you've done? The roof's gone! We're in the feudal era!"

He blinked and looked up, surprised to find that the roof was indeed gone, as was the ladder and wood. The well had strange vines growing thickly against it, carpeting the stones. He felt a pit of fear and something else well up inside him.

"I don't understand, how did we get here? You've jumped in a thousand times and the well hasn't responded, why did it do it this time? It's been months since it closed, it shouldn't just randomly-"

"I know," interrupted his sister, who rolled her eyes in annoyance. He hated it when she did that. "We need to get out of here though, maybe we can find InuYasha and Sango. Or even Kaede would be good right about now."

He stared up at the good ten-foot climb and then at his sister.

"But there's no rope…"

She gave him a strange look before sighing huffily. He crossed his arms in disdain. What did she expect, him to climb up the stones? The crevices were small, and he doubted seriously if his fingers could fit, much less his shoes.

When she grabbed the vines and started pulling her way up though, he found himself staring incredulously. They were seriously going to climb on these vines that could snap any minute? This was the kind of stuff that caused people to sprain their ankle.

No wonder she used to come home cut up and broken. He was beginning to feel a bit of pity for InuYasha…

"Well are you coming?" she asked, nearly halfway up the wall. She smirked down at him, and he had the mind to tell her that those ugly granny panties were showing, because that would wipe the smirk right off, but he swallowed it and pulled himself up as well.

"This is so stupid," he grumbled, trying not to wince when he grabbed a particularly thorny vine that cut into his hands. "They couldn't just put a ladder up, no wonder people died in their thirties, they all do things backwards!"

Pulling himself over the rim, with Kagome's help, he suddenly felt himself looking out at the large meadow where his family's shrine should have stood. Where the guest house for worship should have stood was instead forest, and he felt the pit in his stomach grow. What had they gotten themselves into?

Looking over the rim of the well, he stared down into the depths and wondered if maybe they should jump back in and hope they made it back?

"Come on Souta," called Kagome, and he looked up to see she was a few feet ahead and walking down a path that seemed well travelled. "You can come meet my friends!"

She didn't pause to wait for him, and he stumbled down the pathway after her and into the forest.


	3. I i

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome sighed as she heard Souta's foul mouth for what seemed like the thousandth time. It seemed with every step he took, his mood would sour a little bit more. Her elation at being able to see her friends was slowly deteriorating under the strain of his constant negativities.

"Will you shut up?" she finally asked, her teeth grinding as she turned around to glare at the boy. Why were brothers so annoying? "What _is_ your problem?"

"Don't act so high and mighty! This is all your fault, if you'd just act normal for once…"

"Excuse me," she growled, squeezing her fist. "You're the one that went head first into the well. You're lucky I'm here to save you-"

"Haha!" he laughed obnoxiously, "lucky? Are we even going in the right direction? We've been walking for hours!"

"It's been ten minutes," Kagome replied dryly. "Don't tell me you're tired already. Surely all those soccer games gave you more energy then that!"

"Yeah, well the mosquitoes aren't eating you for lunch either, now are they?"

She actually laughed at that, and felt the sound warm her. Souta, however, was looking at her like she'd grown another head. When he made no move to reply, she started walking again, this time curious and a little confused.

"What?"

"Well damn," he said, and she chastened him again for using such words. Seriously, where had he learned to talk like that? Surely InuYasha hadn't been around _that_ much. "You must be happy to be back."

She glanced at him curiously. He looked so angry and sad, she didn't understand him anymore. What was so wrong with being back? She had spent the last three years with these people, facing death and destruction. That kind of life built bonds, and no matter how many centuries separated them, she missed them!

Why couldn't he understand that?

Was it so hard to be happy for her?

Frowning, they walked in relative silence for a few more minutes until she saw the larger gaps that signaled the end of the forest. Despite their argument, she felt herself smile a little wider.

How she had missed them! Sango, the demon-slayer, and her companion Kirara, Miroku, the perverted monk, and how could she forget Shippo, the cute and gutsy fox-demon? Would things be different? Did Sango have children now? Would InuYasha still be full of energy? Would he have missed her?

"Kagome?"

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she barely heard him.

"Hmm?"

Oh so he was talking to her again? She looked to her right, but instead of an angsty preteen, she found herself staring at the scared child again. He looked like he had that first night, three years ago.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't reply, so she turned to see what he was staring at—only to find herself staring not at the village that had become her home over the years, but instead at a huge lake that enraptured the area.

"What the hell!" she shouted, suddenly dizzy.

"Yeah," whispered Souta desperately. "That's what I was afraid of…"


	4. I ii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta felt like screaming as he turned to his sister, the shock finally wearing off. She still looked stunned, and he wondered if he should perhaps slap her. He had seen someone do that on one of his favorite anime, maybe it would work here too?

"Hey, sis, you okay?"

She was still looking stupidly at the lake, almost as though she thought that if she stared at it long enough, it would disappear.

"Sis?"

She snapped out of it that time, and he noticed at once the tears lining her eyes and disappointment trembling against her lips.

"I don't know what to do…" she whispered, and he found his heart cracking at just how hopeless she sounded. Kind of like that night she had finally returned home for good. She looked so defeated and broken.

Souta found himself sighing, running his hands through his head to clear his thoughts. Clearly she wasn't going to be much use. They needed a plan. They could probably head back to the well, but the sun was resting low in the sky, and he wasn't sure walking around blind in the dark was such a great idea.

Especially if they really were in the Feudal Era and his stupid sister had taken them in the wrong direction. God, sometimes he wished InuYasha really were around, he'd have never let this happen!

Glancing at Kagome again, another part of him was secretly glad he wasn't though.

"Let's set up camp down there," he said, taking charge of the situation and pointing to a level piece of land further towards the lake. The forest was atop of a steep hill, maybe even a mountainside, and they needed somewhere dry at least to set up a fire.

Kagome seemed to snap out of it at his words before shaking her head.

"No, there's no vantage their, we want something higher and closer to the woods, so we can see out enemies."

He rolled his eyes.

"Do you know how to start a fire on a hill?"

"Well no…"

"Then it'll be down there." Honestly, what was she thinking? "Can you gather the firewood and some dry moss?"

"Yea, but…"

"But what?" he asked confused.

"I didn't bring any matches…"

Souta felt his eyes twitch dangerously.

"You don't know how to light a fire?" Perhaps it was the way he said it, because Kagome was beginning to glare.

"Of course not! I've never needed to, if my matches got wet, Shippo could always create fox fire. Besides, we had better things to worry about, like where the next jewel shard was."

He watched her fingers tighten over the glass jewel around her neck. It was useless now, devoid of power after Kagome had made the final wish. But she hadn't wanted to throw it away for fear that it might reactivate. Perhaps her fears weren't so crazy, since they were both on the other-side of the well.

"Well luckily we had to learn how two months ago in boy scouts."

Kagome blinked oddly at him, and he wondered what was wrong this time.

"You're a boy scout?"

He nearly face planted, and stalked off to find some flint. Typical.


	5. I iii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome awoke in a cold sweat, her priestess senses alerting her to danger far sooner then her body. She lay there for several moments, tasting the air and outstretching her hearing.

They were soft voices, nearly invisible between the crickets and Souta's obnoxious snoring, but she had long become accustomed to focusing in on the minute.

Whoever they were, had yet to notice them, though they were at least a good half-mile away. She glanced towards the makeshift fire, and smiled grimly at the ashes. They were lucky it was still early summer and the nights would be warm considering they had little besides their clothes and InuYasha's old rosary.

Rolling slowly towards her brother, she shook him awake and covered his mouth to keep him from making any noises. He struggled for a moment, clearly forgetting where they were, before finally nodding and pushing her away. He looked around in confusion, clearly tired.

"What's wrong?" he whispered even as she took special pains to hide the remnants of the ashes from their mushroom dinner.

"Someone's over there," she whispered, pointing out towards the West, where the sun had been setting. "There are at least three of them, though one's really loud. We need to move back into the forest, they might be dangerous."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly dawn," she guessed from the light streaks peaking up from the East. "We could start now and head towards the well."

Souta was frowning and Kagome could see the argument forming in his head.

"What?" she whispered, glancing nervously towards the area where the voices were coming from.

"Maybe we should ask them…"

"No," Kagome said more forcefully, before she dropped her voice back to a whisper. "They could be slave traders for all we know. We're going back to the well; I should have never let you talk us into staying the night. We should have gone back immediately!"

She saw his face preparing to argue, and would have done more, except she hear the crack of a twig.

Without a second thought, she jumped to her feet, her hands grabbing the nearest object—which happened to be a hand-sized rock—which she hurled in the direction of the noise.

She stood terrified as a figure in tight-fitting non-traditional clothes appeared before them, catching the rock in a singe hand, and then pulverizing it with a simple squeeze.

She jumped out of the way, letting out a terrified shriek even as two very sharp pinwheel shaped knives flew at her. They barely missed and she heard the tell-tale thunk as they embedded themselves into the nearby tree, splintering bark.

"Souta run!" she yelled, adrenaline allowing her to pick him up by the scruff of his jacket and throwing him towards the shore. Her eyes never left the man as he turned towards her brother.

"Oh no you don't!" she shouted, quickly scooping up another rock and chucking it at him. She didn't have time to think as he batted it away a small, odd-looking knife. Why did she never have a bow when she needed it?

He was rushing towards her, and she noticed at once that he moved with the speed of a demon. It was only her time in the Feudal Era that allowed her to barely avoid his blade and kick out at his knees, empowering them with as much of her priestess energy as possible. The resulting kick sent her and him careening in separate directions.

She skidded against the ground, and could feel the rocks tear into her school uniform, even as the hard dirt knocked the wind from her lungs. She blinked in confusion as her vision swam and she could swear that where there had been one man, there were now two.

"Damn bitch," growled the man on the left rubbing what had to be a nasty bruise. "The kid got away."

"The boss won't be pleased you alerted them too us." Bit out the second man, and Kagome wondered for a moment that they were talking about before she struggled to her feet. They looked at her with amusement clearly written on what she could see of their faces.

"I'll take care of this one, you kill the kid."

Kagome's mouth stretched in horror as one of the demon-men disappeared.

"Don't you dare hurt Souta or I-I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" asked the man tauntingly? She glared defiantly adopting her best version of the defensive stance Sango had once tried to teach her. "You stupid bitch, you think you fight me? You got lucky that last time!"

She didn't doubt the validity, but there was no way she was going down without a fight. She could only pray that Souta made it to safety.

Then, without another word, the man rushed at her, and she tried not to squeeze her eyes shut, knowing that death was eminent. Time seemed to slow, and just as the man was right upon them, a black and silver form pushed in front of her, knocking away the knife and throwing the man to the ground. In what seemed like seconds, her savior had the knifed man gagged and bound.

Then he turned to her, and she found herself staring at the oddest man she had ever seen. He dressed completely in black from his nose all the way to his feet, except for the ugliest green vest the world had ever known. The only part of his face visible was his one eye, which _smiled_ at her?

"Yo," he said.

And suddenly, Kagome felt the odd need to beat her head against a rock.


	6. I iv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta ran on instinct, even as he heard his sister scream behind him—echoing in his ears. His legs pumped beneath him, flying down the terrain, straining against the uneven ground. His heart beat uncontrollably while his mind replayed the fight in his head, the piece of metal clicking against the tree flesh, the tight-terrified grip of his sister's fingers…

He ran with all his might, pressing against the hill and towards the area Kagome had pointed to earlier.

"Please don't be slave traders," he whispered aloud, stumbling over some rocks. Tears were beginning to fall, and he cursed inwardly at his own weakness. "HELP!" he yelled.

"PLEASE HELP!"

He stumbled again, and this time fell against the rocks, the dawn's early rays just barely lighting his way.

Why was he always so weak? Why did he always have to be the one running away screaming? He should be the one saving Kagome, not the other way around! He stumbled again, even as he saw a group of people in front of him. Were they the one's Kagome had heard?

There were five of them, two adults and three kids. The oldest looked terrified, clutching a large sake bottle between white fingers. They stopped at the sight of him.

"You three guard Tazuna and stay with the kid. Where's the girl?"

"My sis, she's back there! We were being attacked, you've gotta help her!" shouted Souta as gasped for air. The man nodded seriously at him before glancing back at the kids.

And with that he was gone. Souta stared in amazement; he had to be faster then even InuYasha!

"Are you okay?" asked one of the kids, a girl with long bubblegum pink hair. She looked to be the same age as him, and he swallowed his pain as she helped him up.

"Yea, I think…"

"You're bleeding!" shouted the young blonde, and Souta winced at the volume. He did, however, look down to see some of the rocks had broken his skin and had left bloody red splotches on his knees.

"Oh," he replied intelligently, blinking. He felt like smacking himself.

The girl looked like she'd like to smack the blonde.

"Sit down and I'll bandage you, what's going on? What are you doing out here? Who did we hear screaming?"

He swallowed and sat, trying to digest the situation. What could he tell them? What should he say? Were they trust-worthy?

Was Kagome okay? God, if anything happened to her, how would he explain it to mom? He felt a dark feeling twist in his gut, and he tightened his fist even as the strange girl began disinfecting his knee and wrapping it tightly.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly. She nodded and stepped away again, he noticed at once the quiet boy was looking darkly about him. He was the only one who had yet to loose focus.

"What happened?" asked the blonde again, his voice a nasally whine. "Come on, we didn't even get to have breakfast!"

"We weren't going to have breakfast anyways," corrected the girl with a slight tick to her eye. He got the feeling they rarely got along.

"My sister and I were attacked while we were camping-"

"And you just left her there?" asked the blonde incredulously. "What kind of brother are you!"

This time the girl did hit him, but the dark, brooding boy looked to agree with the sentiment. Souta found himself feeling even guiltier, praying his sister came back quickly.

"Were they ninja?" asked the girl, and Souta found himself looking at her strangely.

"Ninja?" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Like the all-black tight rope creeps that sneak into your window at night to steal stuff?"

Whatever the kids had been expecting, it wasn't that. The old man, who Souta had honestly forgot was there, began to laugh uproariously, and Souta wondered what he had said.

"I like you kid!" grumbled the old man, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Have no fear, Kakashi, at least, will protect the girl. These kids now, they think they're some kind of prodigies, useless, the bunch of 'em!"

The kids were arguing, but Souta had lost all interest in their story. He smiled to see the leader from earlier bounding across the landscape, Kagome's wild black hair swimming in the breeze against the early dawn light.


	7. I v

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome stroked Souta's hair as he hugged her tightly, ignoring the stares. The leader, Kakashi, had been studying them surreptitiously since bringing them together. She didn't trust him or these kids.

They moved to stealthily to be normal children. They glided when they walked, well, except for the blonde; he just sort of bounced everywhere. The only normal one was the old drunk, and he smelled so strongly of sake that she had to stand a good ten meters away and try to ignore his oddly guilty glances.

Either way, something was wrong with this group, and as thankful as she was for their help, she was hardly about to trust them with their deepest secrets.

"So, Kagome right, what are you two doing around these parts?"

"We were visiting some friends of mine, but I guess we got a little turned around. Thank you very much for saving us, you have our deepest thanks."

Kagome bowed, and quickly nudged Souta sharply that he should do the same. He reluctantly leaned into a slight bow. How did Mama handle him? Was he always this stubborn?

"Where are you heading?"

She blinked. Where were they heading? She saw Souta give her a pointed stared and felt like smacking him. She was not telling this stranger they were heading for a well in the middle of nowhere. That was the way you get locked up for craziness.

"I bet they're heading to Wave Country like us!" shouted the blonde, grinning like a loon. She could have kissed the boy, but politely refrained.

"Heh," she muttered, rubbing her arm as she smiled, "you two, huh?"

She wasn't sure if they bought it or not, but Kakashi did the strange eye-smile and nodded without any more questions.

"We're about a two day's walk from wave, we should be there soon," said the old man, Tazuna, ignoring the odd interrogation. He turned towards her and Souta and gave a wide, drunk smile. "Are you travelling with us? These woods aren't so safe anymore."

Kakashi's one eye narrowed.

"Oh? Is their something we should know?"

Kagome looked in confusion at the group, feeling oddly awkward. She felt Souta try and shift away from her, but she gripped his shoulder tightly, ninja weren't to be trusted. In ways they were far more dangerous than demons. Demons tended to be honest about their blood-hungry ways; ninja were the darker human counter-parts. She had only met one once in passing during her time in the feudal era. He had been a strange man who had spent so much time with the demons that they had taught him how to manipulate his energies to fight. Shippo had tried to explain it, but it just didn't make any sense. Of course, InuYasha's muttering didn't help.

InuYasha…

Gods how she missed him.

The group walked slowly to the East and she had found herself subconsciously out pacing them several times. They walked in an easy format though, the three kids surround Tazuna and Kakashi in the rear. Souta fit in easily, taking the left flank with Sakura at the front. She didn't miss the small blushes as he looked at the girl.

It just made her want to leave all the more. Hadn't she learned this lesson the hard way? She'd be damned if she let him get hurt like that too.

She sighed and stopped, waiting a good few feet in front of the group. Sakura looked worn out from the quick pace, and both Souta and Sasuke seemed a little off, though she had trouble seeing past the later's aloofness. Tazuna, however, looked like the alcohol and steady sun weren't agreeing so well with his stomach.

"I guess we should stop?" she asked, looking towards Kakashi and then back towards the children. Naruto protested loudly, and Kagome wondered for the thousandth time if he had any other setting. It seemed it was either loud or louder.

"Aye, my cute little students appear worn out by your pace," replied the captain.

She blushed and sat in one of the more shaded spots near the lake, but far enough away from the trees to not get bitten by ants. Souta, however, didn't even look before plopping against the nearby willow, and Kagome debated whether to tell him he would be itching for the rest of the night.

Taking advantage of their rest, Kakashi moved to sit near her, allowing the strange little eye smile.

"So where are you from?" Beneath the jovial tone, Kagome heard the steel edge.

"The Village of Edo," she replied, deciding it would be safer to use then Tokyo. Her instincts were correct when his smile turned into an inquisitive look.

"Edo, I've never heard of that Village. Is it in the land of Fire?"

She swallowed, shaking her head. Land of Fire? What was that, a volcano? And they had said Land of Wave earlier as well… Perhaps she should just pick an element and hope for the best? Wind maybe or Earth?

"No, it's a rather small village in the land of Earth."

He nodded solemnly and she couldn't tell if she had passed the test or not.

"That is quite a long journey, where is your equipment?"

"We were met by bandits several nights ago, who took all of out stuff. We were hoping to get replacements, but they took our money as well." Kagome felt rather proud of herself for the lie, rubbing her arm with a smile.

"Souta!" she said suddenly, watching him scratch his back against the willow. "What are you doing?"

"My back itches, I was just…"

"Of course, you're rubbing it against a tree covered in ants!"

He jumped up in a second, all his fatigue gone as he looked at where he sat and noticed at once the swarm of ants. Letting out a loud screech, he turned in circles, stomping the ground, and trying helplessly to get the little creatures off of him. She smiled softly at his dance, until Sakura got up to help him, pushing away the little creatures roughly from his back.

The blush was back, and this time Sakura was smiling coyly, almost embarrassed.

"Why didn't you tell me!" shrieked the boy. She was seriously beginning to doubt the wisdom of travelling with this group; Naruto and the girl were already rubbing off on him.

"If you had been paying attention you would have noticed," she said easily, lifting an eyebrow. Or he could have sat by her. She couldn't afford to baby him out here, not on this side of the well.


	8. I vi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta seriously felt like screaming.

Kagome was acting so weird! One moment she'd be wrapped up in her own world, probably thinking about InuYasha, and then she was glaring at either him or Sakura. He had tried asking nicely, really he had! But she was just so emotional; it had turned into a rather heated argument quickly.

Kakashi had kindly instructed him that asking his sister what had crawled up her ass and died was _not_ polite. Naruto, at least, had thought it amusing. Sakura, unfortunately, had taken her side. He wasn't sure, but he thought he might have even seen Sasuke snicker.

That was probably the reason for the hour-long lecture as they walked on proper etiquette towards the feminine sex. Of course, it had all been ruined when he pulled out some perverted book. Kagome looked ready to thrash him!

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Souta watched Naruto hop around with his kunai. He had gotten them to show him what it was, and Naruto had even let him borrow one, though Kakashi had seriously frowned (how you can frown with only one eye showing was really beyond him) at the action though. Kunai were ninja weapons, not toys for little boys to throw around. As if they were more then a few months older!

"Naruto," sighed Kagome, pulling him away from the second empty bush. "Let it-"

"Duck!" shouted Kakashi, and Souta found himself pinned to the ground by Sakura while Sasuke grabbed the builder. A whistle split the air and the harsh sound of metal pressing into a tree.

He looked up just in time to see Kagome holding Naruto tightly against her as they pressed into the floor, a sharp line jutting into the tree where their bodies had been only seconds earlier.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan…"

Souta looked up at the voice and found himself freezing at the sound. A chill ran down his spine even as a large, severe looking man stood atop the knife hanging in the trees.

"Zabuza, demon of the mists," replied Kakashi darkly. "What do you want?"

"Just hand over the bridge builder and you're cute little team won't even get hurt."

Souta watched with no little trepidation as Kakashi weighed the odds. Apparently, so did the builder, however, pulling himself out of Kagome's grasp, Naruto seemed to have already made a decision.

"You can have him over our dead bodies!"

He could already see the wheels turning in his sister's head as she grabbed him by the mouth and pulled him back to her, silencing him effectively. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and Zabuza's malicious laughter could be heard echoing through the lightwoods and out past the lake.

With little to no effort, the demon jumped from the heights and attacked immediately, heading straight for Tazuna.

Souta, with no real idea of what to do, held the kunai deeply in his fists, positioning himself next to Sasuke who had taken his right. His heart crawled into his throat when the demon-man clashed against Kakashi's blade. They all fell backwards at the power of the blow, and watched in amazement as they traded strikes.

He didn't dare take his eyes off of them to check on his sister for fear that it would be his last.

"Take the builder and get out of here!" he heard Kakashi yell.

He looked over to see Kagome's face clouded with indecision.

"What are you doing?" he asked angrily as she looked back and forth between the direction Kakashi went and him. "We have to go help him!"

"With what?" she growled at him, ignoring the others. "You going to throw that knife at him? You don't even know how to use it. We'll just be in his way. Follow your leaders instructions!"

"We're not helpless! We're ninja, that's why they gave us these!" shouted Naruto, entering the discussion as well. Sasuke nodded slightly and Sakura looked like she might be sick. Tazuna might as well have passed out as pale and shaky as he was.

"You're children," she ground out, ignoring their angry looks. "And while you may be ninja, you're clearly not his level. Besides, aren't you required to follow protocol?"

"Kakashi-sensei needs our help!"

Souta was inclined to agree.

"If you're so scared, just run away!" scowled Sasuke who was already moving towards the fight. He frowned as his sister flinched; clearly he had struck a chord.

Souta wasn't sure why though. He'd never met anyone so brave.

"I need a bow," she said angrily. And for the first time in months, Souta saw the spark return to her eyes.

"We don't have any…" Sakura said, trailing off and looking lost. He understood, where were they supposed to get a bow?

"I've got a sling-shot!" said Naruto suddenly, digging through his pockets. Sasuke looked ready to murder everyone for his or her distractions. Throwing the wooden sling-shot to his sister, Souta watched with curiosity as she nodded, a thousand scenarios running through her mind.

"Lets go," replied Sasuke more forcefully, and Souta found himself focusing once more at the task in front of them: protect Tazuna and stay alive.


	9. I vii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome couldn't help but stare at the scene ahead of her. Kakashi was surrounded by not one, but three of the same demons of the mist. And she certainly understood where his name came from; lying over the large lake was a rather nasty fog that she could just barely see their forms.

Bending down, she grabbed up a handful of fist-sized rocks.

Demon, huh? Well, she had her own practice purifying demons!

Ordering the kids into some sort of protective defense, Kagome moved to find a better angle. Whereas her bow could get a good mile range, she doubted this little slingshot got more then a few yards.

Moving stealthily across a rather outstretched rock, she loaded the slingshot and pulled back, taking aim, she began to concentrate on her priestess energies. Calling the pink powers to the surface, she felt the jewel against her neck warm considerably.

"Come on Kagome," she whispered, tracking the fight carefully. The two fighters broke apart suddenly, and Kagome took her chance, firing the stone through the air.

The rock collided solidly with Zabuza and she felt her eyes widen when the impact made a resounding crunch with his jaw. Both pairs of eyes turned towards her and she scrambled away just in time to avoid the nasty tidal wave sent to drown her.

Kakashi's students also took this chance to intervene, transforming Naruto into a giant swinging blade that looked reminisce of Sango's weapon. She watched as Kakashi rushed forward, causing Zabuza to choose between one weapon and the other.

He slid under Naruto's fan-weapon and landed in a tree. The sickening creak caused the tree to crack and fall. Kagome found herself wondering if he would get up. InuYasha probably could, based on sheer stubbornness, but a human? Even Sango would be hard-pressed to stand after a blow like that.

She found herself sucking in a deep breath as a beaten Zabuza pulled himself from the splinters, his face an angry contortion.

Suddenly, she understood why they called him the demon.

However, before he could go much further, at least twenty tiny spikes impaled themselves into his skin. Kagome looked on in shock as a small figure appeared out of the forest and dropped nearby, it's face covered by a white shell.

"Thank you Konoha Ninja," said the stranger, his voice soft and low. "I have been searching for Zabuza for many months. I will dispose of him now."

Kakashi nodded slowly, and she suddenly noticed his uncovered eye was bright red with spinning commas. The man-ninja person picked up Zabuza and carried him off into the woods. Kakashi turned to her then, while glancing towards his children with worried glances.

"Ahh, Kagome, I don't feel so good…"

Her eyes widened as he collapsed several meters away.

"Oh dear…"


	10. I viii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

It really wasn't fair, Souta considered silently as he watched the team move away slowly. Why did they get to learn while he just had to sit around all day and listen to that Inari brat whine?

So the kid lost his dad, get over it! Him and Kagome had lost their dad in a shrine fire when he was three. The only memory he had of the man were on the VHS records Mama kept in the cabinet under lock and key. At least he had actual memories.

Souta sighed and peered quietly at Kagome who looked just as glum to see the kids go.

Kakashi had been less then pleased with everyone upon awakening, especially Kagome. He had quite bluntly refuted her entire story and then questioned her motives in putting not only him in danger with her actions, but his entire team. Kakashi had chewed Kagome out for a good ten minutes before Naruto had broken the monologue with some sarcastic remark.

That had earned everyone, including him, a nasty punishment. Naruto was to train in the mornings with his teams before reporting to the bridge-builder to help with construction-no ninjutsu allowed (which is what they called their freaky powers).

Sakura, who had not taken charge, was assigned cleaning duty, and would be responsible for tending the yard, and when she finished that, the neighbor's yard, and then the next neighbor.

Sasuke, who Kakashi had the least to say about, was to help the fishermen after training. He had the least strenuous activity, and Souta couldn't help but wonder why the boy was so upset.

Because they were not his team, Kakashi had no real ability to order them around, but Souta almost wished he would, if only to stop the disappointing looks and for something to do. He had tried to help Sakura with her work, but Kakashi had made a point of letting him know that he was not to be alone with Sakura.

Personally, Souta found it all a little harsh. Surely them coming to save him wasn't such a bad thing? Yeah, they had lied, but seriously, what were they supposed to say? We come from a decrepit well? Yeah, were arguing and just happened to fall in. Can we go home now?

"UGH!" Souta said with annoyance, stretching back and staring at the overcast sky. Did it really have to rain here every day? How depressing! "There is like nothing to do around here! And why is he being such a jerk…"

"Hush," Kagome chastised, rolling her eyes. "He has every right to be angry, if it were InuYasha I doubt we'd have-"

"Damn Kagome!" he cried, cutting her off as a familiar anger bubbled within. "Does everything have to be about him?"

She looked hurt at his words, and he felt a small amount of guilt before it was covered by a nasty anger. Why did she always have to obsess about him? It wasn't healthy, it never had been!

"Can't you just let him go? It's been months, and you said it yourself, he loves Kikyo! Can't you just move on?"

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand," Kagome whispered softly. Standing silently, she walked away. Souta felt the urge to call to her, but pride choked back his apologies.

He looked down as she disappeared, and felt a small pain rise in his chest, gnawing at his heart. He was so preoccupied he barely heard the steps and jumped at the large hand pressed against his shoulder.

"Ahh, Souta, I think we need to talk…."

Looking up, Souta found himself staring at that familiar eye—Kakashi…

"About what?" he asked suddenly his fingers moving to iron out the wrinkles in his dirty slacks. They were uncomfortably tight, as he had to borrow a pair from Inari. Kagome had been luckier considering Inari's mom was almost the same size.

"I think you know what," said the ninja evenly pushing him down into sitting position before standing in front of him near the steps. "Explain."

Souta swallowed thickly, not sure what to say and what not.

Kagome still didn't trust the ninja or his children (especially Sakura for some strange reason) and had made it clear that he wasn't to either. But he found himself liking the strange group. Naruto was so open and honest it was hard to be upset around him. That, and Kakashi had protected them from the strange ninja, surely he couldn't be that bad?

Almost as if sensing his shifting thoughts, Kakashi's menacing aura died away and he came to sit by him, quietly.

How could a man that had been so kind be bad?

"I'm sorry," he started out, not really sure where to begin. "My sister… She's had it hard. She doesn't want me to tell you anything because she thinks your going to hurt us, but I don't think you will or else you'd have done it already."

Kakashi nodded but otherwise remained silent, clearly waiting for him to continue. After a few moments of struggling to find the words, he finally huffed and stuffed his face in his hand.

"I'm not sure where to begin."

"Perhaps," said the ninja, more serious then he ever remembered, "You should try the beginning."

"There are two though." Souta muttered, trying to decide how to phrase everything. He shook his head before continuing on. "Alright, so Kagome and I live on a Shrine very far away. One day, when Kagome turned 15, a demon attacked her and pulled a special jewel out of her side. Because she's a priestess she was able to purify the demon, but somewhere along the way she broke the jewel."

He sighed and rubbed his head, trying to remember the story at that point.

"I don't remember a lot of the details but she met InuYasha, who she fell in love with, and some other people. They collected the pieces and then a really bad guy collected the other pieces, his name was Naraku. Eventually they had a huge battle and Kagome's group won, but in the end she had to go home and she's never been the same since."

Kakashi nodded again and Souta smiled a little, he really was a good listener. Why couldn't Kagome like someone like him instead of InuYasha? He bet Kakashi would never cheat on a girl with their dead reincarnation.

He felt a bead of sweat drop. But then again that had to be one of a kind. Only Kagome could get into a situation like that!

"And then?" the ninja asked, pressing them to the next 'beginning.'

"Well, we were arguing because she was being stupid and just sitting around doing nothing but moping about InuYasha, and he's gone now, and there really isn't any point in thinking about someone who isn't coming back. And well, I got mad at her and we had a fight and then something weird happened and we ended up here."

He watched Kakashi's face drop in annoyance.

"You just happened to appear here from where you were?"

"Well… yeah… I know it sounds crazy we were arguing one minute and then the next we were here, and I don't really know what happened!" he moved again to smooth the wrinkles in his pants and noticed Kakashi's patented stare.

"I see," replied the ninja, his face a mask of concentration. "Then answer me one last thing."

"Okay?"

"_Do you think Sakura's hot?_"

Souta could literally feel his mind turning to goo.


	11. I ix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi laughed inwardly at the boys flaming red face. It was so amusing to watch the children struggle with their emotions. He particularly enjoyed teasing Sasuke—the boy was just too gullible. His laugh waned however when he gazed back at the grumbling boy.

The kid was cute, but it was his sister Kakashi found himself thinking on more. The girl was dangerous. She moved like a cat with graceful, even steps. She had a sixth sense only seasoned fighters had, she could predict a fighter's moves instinctually, though not nearly at the level he could. She was definitely no ninja, but that hardly eased his worry.

She was too secretive and too cautious for him to trust her.

And while he didn't doubt the sincerity of Souta's extremely vague story, he wouldn't push for more details, because honestly, he doubted the boy had them.

"Kakashi, um, sir?" asked the boy cautiously, clearly having noticed his lack of focus.

"Hmm?"

"What about Zabuza?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side and looked at the boy curiously.

"What about him?"

"Naruto said he wasn't dead. Is it he going to come back?"

Ahhh… Kakashi thought, hearing the worry in the boy's voice.

"Yes," he said quietly, staring out over the yard and out towards the farm-covered hills. "He will return in about a week when he has completely healed."

The fear was even more visible, and he had the odd urge to comfort the boy. It wasn't that he disliked the kid, but he had complicated this mission far more than should be allowed. The paper work this little adventure had caused seemed to grow with every turn.

Damn bureaucracy.

"Don't worry," the ninja finally found himself saying, laying his calloused hand across the boy's thin, muscular shoulders. "We're ninja from Konoha, and we protect our friends, even if they do talk in vague riddles."

The boy cringed a little beneath his hand, but he continued with his patented, friendly smile.

"However, you should go find your sister. It's not really a good idea to wander Wave Country alone."

Releasing the boy with a slight push away from the steps, he watched him stumble out on gangly legs with awkward movements. Puberty, he sighed fondly, oh the joys. And with that, Kakashi moved back in the house, leaning heavily on his crutches while pondering the information in his head.


	12. I x

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome frowned as she wandered the streets of the poor town, remembering a similar street.

_"Miroku," she gasped, staring at the decrepit architechture. Children lined the alleyways, their large, round eyes peering at them through the dark. The smell of human feces carried on the breeze with hints of burning hair. "Where…"_

_The perverted monk turned to her with solumn eyes, sad creases in the corners of his eyes. For a moment, he looked truly weighed, like a wise-sad man._

_"This is Fushimoto. It used to be a small, if prosperous agricultural village that sold the best mangos for lands, but the nearby daimyo sent his samurai here to take it for his own."_

_"They didn't fight back?" Shippo, the small fox demon, asked from her shoulder, looking just as revolted as she felt. How could people do that?_

_"Of course they did," replied the monk as he pointed towards the town square where you could see the gallows. "Haven't you noticed there are no men here?"_

_She hadn't._

_However, before she could say anything, one of the braver children ran out in front of them, bumping against her in a rush. She nearly fell down and Shippo had to jump away at the last moment onto Miroku's shoulder._

_"Hey!" she cried, even as the boy shot her an odd look._

_It was about ten minutes later that Kagome realized they had stolen her Shikon shards. InuYasha had not been pleased._

Tightening her fist, Kagome found herself walking towards the nearby clinic, Souta's words still echoing in her head.

_Does everything have to be about him?_

What did he know about sorrow? She shook away the tears forming in her eyes. He couldn't understand, he hadn't been there, hadn't had to learn to love someone so deeply that you'd sacrifice not only your life, but even your soul for their happiness.

It didn't stop the pain though.

She found the small clinic easily enough, and walked in noticing at once the harassed nurse and the large pool of people, ranging from sniffles to gnashing wounds. The nurse, a ragged middle aged woman glanced at her with no little disdain, noticing at once her lack of injuries.

"If dere's nudin wrong wid 'cha, get da hell out!" said the woman darkly.

Kagome frowned but stood her ground, beginning to second guess this idea.

"I'm here to help."

"Oh? And does ya 'ave any exper-imence?"

"Yes, I…"

"I don't need cha life story," said the nurse harshly. "Can cha stitch a wound?"

"Well, yes-"

"Good, go take care o' him," she said, pointing towards what looked like a builder who had a nasty bleeding cut on his arm. "Threads in da drawer, and don' waste me bandages. Next shipmen' might not be 'ere for a month."

Kagome nodded and did as told, taking the needle and thread from a nearby drawer and looking for some gloves. Apparently, those too had run out. She stifled a sigh and looked over the man's wounds.

"What happened?" she asked even as she studied the clean slice through his forearm. Assuming it didn't get infected, she doubted there would be more then a scar.

"Saw fell and got my arm," replied the man through gritted teeth. She nodded and felt his forehead, noticing at once the slight fever. There was no pain-reliever or fever reducer in stock. She'd have to do this the old fashion way and use her priestess powers with the others.

"I need you to lean back and close your eyes," she said softly before grabbing a nearby rag and basin of water. Dipping her finger in the water, she released a small amount of power into it, purifying and disinfecting the entire basin. Kikyo had actually been the one to teach her that.

She swallowed the memory and cleaned the dirt off the wound.

"You with them ninja?" asked the man suddenly as she began to allow her energies to cover his arm, numbing the area.

She nodded before remembering his eyes were closed.

"Yeah."

"Tazuna says they're going to rebuild that bridge, but with all the accidents and problems, I'm not sure how." Kagome worked quietly as he spoke, threading the needle and pushing it through the skin, pulling the two pieces together. "I hope he can do it though. We've been starving for what seems like ages."

She tied off the end and snipped the thread, tying it in a tight knot. Again, she cleaned off the wound again and gave the man a slight smile.

"All done!" she said, giving back his hand. He looked shocked, as though he had forgotten where he was. Considering his slight fever, he probably had.

"But I didn't even feel," she smiled kindly at his confusion and helped him stand before grabbing a piece of paper with some instructions on it.

"You need to be careful not to get dirt on it or open the stitches."

He walked to the door muttering and she turned towards the large crowd of patients that had seemed to grow. Sighing, she motioned towards a nearby mother and her crying infant.

"How can I help you?"


	13. I xi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta let out an annoyed huff as he glared at the tree in front of him. They were walking up trees with their "chakra" (the glowing stuff that let caused them to have magical powers), so why couldn't he?

He had overheard Sakura trying to explain it to Naruto for the thousandth time, and he, like Naruto, just couldn't seem to understand it. How could you find something you never felt? There was certainly no glowing power in his stomach, and closing his eyes and searching for it only ended with a massive headache. This was so stupid!

He couldn't see it, couldn't touch, and certainly couldn't feel it, so how was he supposed to use it?

He let out another huff and dropped to the ground, pouting slightly.

It wasn't fair! Why was he always being left behind? First it had been Kagome and InuYasha, but now even kids his own ages could use powers better then him! He wanted to scream and whine and pound this stupid tree until it gave him the correct answer!

"How the hell do they do this?" he growled, looking at his hands expectantly, almost waiting for it to appear. When nothing happened, he fisted them angrily.

Why did this have to be so difficult?

He bet that Kagome never had this much trouble with her powers! Hell, when that centipede had come out of the well, she had toasted its arm on instinct. Why couldn't he have that kind of power?

It wasn't fair!

That famous Higurashi temper was building again and he found himself dragging himself off the ground.

He couldn't be weak, he wouldn't be! He needed to learn this, if only not to be left behind. Kagome had protected him all her life; it wasn't fair! He needed to be strong for her! Zabuza would be back, Kakashi had been clear, and they only had a few days left…

"Souta?"

He looked up at his name to see Naruto rustling through the underbrush. The loud boy looked dirty and confused, his face adopting curious look that reminded him a bit of a fox.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Practicing, what are you doing?" he asked, clearly taking in Souta's disheveled appearance.

"Well, I was trying to practice too, but I fucking suck!"

Naruto seemed to click the pieces into place, and Souta felt a small heat warm his face at his inability. Naruto must have understood the feeling however, because he only nodded in agreement before plopping ungracefully on the ground in front of him.

"What are you trying to do?"

Souta sighed and rubbed his palms into his pants while looking away.

"I can't find the Chakra you guys use. I've been out here for hours trying to find myself. I don't get it, how do you find yourself!"

Naruto stared for a moment before laughing uproariously. Souta found his attitude souring even further.

"It's not funny!"

"Yes it is!" Naruto wheezed, holding his sides. "Who the hell said you had to find yourself?"

"Kagome," he muttered, annoyed.

Naruto laughed even harder.

"How would she know? She's not a ninja!" Naruto said before calming down enough to speak normally. Souta found him glaring darkly at the boy. "I bet you also tried to find it in your belly too?"

Souta felt his eye twitch slightly.

"Anyways! I'll teach you the real way to use chakra, believe it! What you gotta do is make this sign."

Souta looked in confusion as Naruto twisted his fingers in an odd motion before attempting to do the same.

"No, no! You have to twist the pinky over! Yeah, that's it!"

It kind of hurt, and Souta could feel the muscles beginning to burn from the odd position.

"Okay, now you say Bushin no Jutsu!"

"Bushin no Jutsu!"

He waited a moment, expecting something. He didn't feel any different. He looked over at Naruto, to see his face screwed in deep concentration. He almost looked constipated and Souta began to reconsider taking Naruto's advice.

"That should have worked…"

Souta pulled apart his hands, aggravated and somewhat depressed.

"Maybe I'm just not meant to…"

"No way!" shouted Naruto, and Souta looked up to see bright blue eyes staring at him with determination. "You said you wanted to learn, so I'm gonna teach you!"

Souta found himself shrinking under the determined gaze. Had he always been this insistent? His surprise spiked further when Naruto grabbed his hands and held them out as if they were going to play that weird hand game girls liked to play at his school.

"What are you-"

"Shh!" Naruto said, concentration. His hands were beginning to glow atop of his, and Souta felt something inside him move, almost as if in defense. It was so weird he broke contact immediately, grabbing his stomach in confusion.

"What the…"

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked instantly, clearly terrified he had hurt his new friend. Souta stared at his tingling hand before looking back at the blonde, seeing the fear written all over his face.

"Yea, but that was weird!" He paused a moment, a million questions whirling in his head. "Can you do it again?"

Naruto seemed to brighten at this and he held up his hand, waiting patiently for Souta to put his up as well.

When the tingling happened this time, Souta was more prepared. He could feel something unraveling from the pit of his stomach, stretching out to the hands that Naruto was covering in energy. It buzzed oddly with the strange feeling he got when he sat on a leg too long.

"Whoa," he said, trying to grab hold of the energy. Just as he was beginning to feel the powers, it stopped, and he looked at Naruto in surprise. "What's…"

He was interrupted however when the bushes rattled again and Kakashi emerged with Kagome in tow. He noticed at once her worn appearance and the ninja's aloof smile.

"Souta! Naruto!" she said with obvious relief. "I was worried about you guys! What were... um, what are you doing?"

He blushed hotly and pulled his hands away stuffing them in his pocket even as he saw Naruto doing the same and hopping to his feet.

"Nothing!"

"You know you shouldn't be out this late, it's getting dark!" she said seriously, tsking even as he grabbed him and Naruto by the arm. He watched Kagome throw him an odd look before pulling the other kid to her.

"Mah!" shouted Naruto, his bubbly attitude returned full bloom. "I was just showing Souta my new ability! I can climb trees, Kagome!"

He heard Kakashi sigh behind them, and turned to give him an odd look. He had the distinct feeling Kakashi knew exactly what they had been doing. Catching his eye, Souta gave him a cheeky grin.

Well too bad!


	14. I xii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome smiled tightly as she walked into the small clinic, feeling her tight muscles constrict painfully. This was her sixth straight day at the clinic, and it honestly felt like the patients never ended. Even now in the early hours of the morning she could see the room packed with children and adults alike. Kimi, the nurse, claimed in her normal dry tone, that it was her own fault for volunteering.

"Ms. Kagome!" cried one of the children upon seeing her. She recognized him instantly as the orphan whose sister had come down with yellow fever. In payment for treating the child, she had convinced him and a few of his friends to pick some medicinal herbs she had found in the woods.

They were weak and rarely did more then slow some of the kinder injuries, but it was better then nothing.

"Yusu, you brought the herbs?" The child nodded happily and she couldn't help but grin back weakly at his gapped smile. "You're a life saver, thank you!"

She set about boiling them in the back rooms even while she heard Kimi's annoyed voice barking out orders at the drunk that had managed to give himself a black eye. It was always amusing to work with her.

Setting up the ingredients, Kagome bit back a yawn and slumped tiredly against the countertop. She had been using her priestess powers so much that they felt raw and lethargic. It didn't help that she was struggling to sleep with Zabuza's threat looming on the distance. He should have been healed by now according to Kakashi, and she found herself terrified by that knowledge.

She felt so defenseless without a bow…

Shaking her head, she looked down to see the water had already begun to bubble, and she placed a lid on it and slid it to the back burner, cutting off the fire. She would let the herbs steep for a good hour before they were useful.

Moving back to the front of the building, she found herself taking up her customary position on the left side of the room.

"Ms. Kagome," called an upset woman on her right. She looked over to see a very pregnant brunette with a dirty face holding her stomach in pain.

"Ah, sit over here. Now what's the matter?" she asked even as she helped the woman move.

"I don't know… He hasn't moved in hours and I'm scared because he's usually so active, I don't know what to do…" the girl was rambling, and Kagome smiled reassuringly, pressing her hand against the woman's stomach. It was firm if slightly hardened. She tugged her powers quietly to the surface, feeling them struggle desperately against her iron-like grip.

The struggle ended and she felt the soft humdrum of a heartbeat beneath the mother's. But the mother had been right to worry, something was wrong.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, allowing her powers to shape the fetus in her mind.

"The umbilical cord is wrapped around the child," she said simply, suddenly uncertain of what to do. This was more of her mentor, Kaede's thing then her own. Sure, she had helped with the odd birth, but her expertise was healing injuries, not delivering.

"Kimi!" she said at last over the mother's distressful cries. "Shhh, you've got to be strong. If you get too upset you might turn the child and cause it to choke."

She wasn't sure if that was true or not, but she rubbed her arm and called to Kimi a little more desperately.

"What's da matter kid?"

"The fetus is wrapped in the umbilical cord." She watched Kimi swear darkly and push her out of the way.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she answered confidently. Kimi shot her a strange look, but she ignored it and moved away, letting the older woman take charge. She led the now hysterical woman away and Kagome released a heaving sigh as she moved on to the next person, feeling drained.

For the next three hours she worked diligently, cleaning up what she could and letting her priestess powers do what she couldn't. When Kimi finally returned, Kagome felt ready to pass out on the floor.

She must have looked it too from the pitying looks her patients were giving her.

"Stupid brat," muttered the woman as she finally returned from the backroom smelling strongly of blood. Kagome seriously thought she might gag. The woman pressed a hand against her forehead before rolling her eyes. "Gotcha a fever. Go home an don' be comin' back 'till it's gone."

Normally she might have argued, but her sore body protested even that.

"Yusu!" she shouted, and the orphan boy rushed to her side at once.

"What cha want ya old hag?" She boxed his ear at his cheek and pushed him out the door a second later.

"Take da girl home and hop back here quick, yah alley rat!" He blew her a raspberry before grabbing Kagome's hand firmly. She swayed on her feet, but he just tugged her more urgently, escorting her back to Tazuna's home.

It felt like the longest walk of her life.

She smiled softly at his worried look and bid him farewell.

"Thank you Yusu," she said even as he disappeared the way he came. Exhausted, she sat on the couch to rest before she found herself completely passed out.


	15. I xiii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta could feel his mouth drop even as he walked through the door.

"What the hell!"

His eyes widened to huge saucers and he stared at the three unknown men inside Tazuna's house. One of them held a struggling Inari, one his mother, and the last stood over his unconscious sister. He felt a deep anger feel his heart even as he saw the scene.

"Another one?" grouched the nearest stranger holding his sister, his face mostly covered by a black mask. "They're popping up like flies!"

"Then grab the brat and hurry up!" said the leader as he struggled to contain Inari. Souta watched in dismay as the man dropped his sister onto the couch unkindly before heading towards him. Without thinking, he grabbed the kunai from his back pocket, careful not to nick himself, and charged straight forward.

"KAGOME!"

He swiped angrily at the man, and felt his eyes widen even as he managed to make a light cut against his stomach. The shock of actually connecting caused him to freeze even as the other man's hand came out and punched him square in the jaw.

He heard the sickening crunch before the pain ever registered. Falling backwards into the wall, he felt all of his breath leave him. And suddenly he hurt. It hurt even to breath, and the metallic taste in his mouth scared him almost as much as the angry figure storming towards him.

Swiping blindly in front of him, he felt the man kick the kunai from his hands even as he was picked up from the ground.

"You little shit!" ground out the thug, his eyes squinting with rage. "I'm gonna beat the hell out of yah!"

He heard Inari's mom scream even as the fist connected with his stomach and he found himself doubling over in pain.

"Hey!" shouted a voice to his right. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Souta knew that voice instantly, and despite the pain, managed a rough grin at the man front of him.

"And who do you-"

Whatever he was going to ask was cut short when his sister rammed her fist right into his nose.

"The name's Kagome!" she said darkly, kicking him in the gut before turning to the others. Inari, taking advantage of his captor's lack of attention, bit down angrily even as Kagome picked up the bloody kunai. "And no one messes with my family!"

Without a second thought, pressed into the fray, kicking the man holding Inari even as the other thug dropped the woman. Souta watched with no little fascination as Kagome swept the boy backwards away from the fight while kicking out his legs and causing him to fall to the floor. The one from behind pressed against her quickly, grabbing his sister by the hair and tugging her upwards. She went with an angry wince of pain, slicing into his shirt while turning in his grasp.

He let go immediately and Souta flinched at the cracks of bones as Kagome's fist hammered into the man's face and gut.

All three of the thugs were on the ground in minutes, and Souta found himself staring at his sister with an awe he hadn't felt for a long time. Damn she could kick some ass!

"Are you okay?" she asked him immediately after insuring the thugs weren't getting up anytime soon. He frowned and tried to wheeze through a broken jaw, tasting the metallic blood in his oddly dry mouth. He tried to nod, but she was already pressing her warm, calloused hands against his face. That same energy he had felt from Naruto on his hands was pressing against his cheek, though much more subtle. Whereas Naruto had made his finger's tingle, Kagome's powers soothed and eased the nasty swelling in his cheek.

After a moment, she took her hand away, and he could hear Inari and his mother gasping a few feet away.

"Don't speak," she said softly, her hands running through her hair. He noticed at once the purple bruises already forming on her pale knuckles. "You broke the bone, and I'm no good at repairing those."

He couldn't help but stare even as she turned away, taking charge of the situation.

"Now, what's going on here!"

Souta found himself wondering the same, even as he struggled to stand from his position on the floor, tears burning treacherously in his eyes. It hurt to move, to breathe, and he wondered if he'd broken more then just a jaw.

"I don't know!" said the mother, finally falling apart as she held tightly to a stricken Inari. "We were fixing dinner and then they came in! They were Gato's men. I think they meant to use us as bait when Souta arrived."

Souta wondered for a moment if she was going to come and baby him like she had Inari. He certainly hoped not, it was bad enough when Kagome did it. Kagome nodded quietly, looking as though she were in deep though. Finally after a few moments, he heard release a sigh and turn towards the mother.

"I need a bow."


	16. I xiv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome gripped the bow in one hand even as she swung a quiver full of arrows against her back. One of Tazuna's neighbors was a hunter and his low-quality bow would have to do. Her bleak inspection of the arrows informed her they were home-crafted, and would probably fly crooked. She would have to readjust her aim.

Sprinting through the town, she could hear Inari's cries behind her. He and his mother had the job of rallying the village together for backup. After all, if this Gato fellow was anything like he sounded, he would have several backup plans just in case. The hostages proved that easily.

Whipping around a corner, Kagome found herself missing InuYasha's speed.

It would take several minutes to make it to the building site, and there was no telling what could happen in a few minutes.

She breathed heavily and took stock of her energies, focusing inward as she ran.

The nap had restored a good twenty percent of her reserves, but if she used them too much, she ran the chance of them falling dangerously low.

Rushing another corner, Kagome just barely jumped out of a speeding pedestrian's way. They were screaming something about demons, and she felt her fear lodge itself in her throat.

She danced to the right and dodged a small cat eloquently. All those years of tripping over roots were finally paying off.

She turned the last corner and knew it would be a straight shot to the bridge.

"Just a few more minutes," she whispered in the wind, feeling her nerves surface angrily. She needed to hurry before those kids got in some serious trouble. They weren't much older than Souta, and Naruto reminded her a little bit too much of a certain Dog Demon…

A light midst was starting to fill the landscape, and Kagome prayed she wasn't too late.

Moments later, she heard the loud clanks of battle.

"NARUTO! SASUKE!"

That sounded like Sakura. She zeroed in on the sound and didn't stop running until she found the pink haired beacon. Really, how was a ninja supposed to hide with that bright hair?

She skidded to a stop a few meters away, taking in Sakura's defensive stance. She nodded at her and watched the girl lower her blade slowly.

"What's going on?" Kagome demanded quickly, trying to take stock of the situation with the light mists pressing off of the lake. She wasn't quite sure whether it was natural or demon-made.

"Kakashi's fighting Zabuza. Naruto and Sasuke are stuck inside the hunter-nin's ice mirror field."

Kagome nodded, counting her arrows again. Sixteen and a 40% energy rate—she needed to be extremely careful.

"Okay," she said, wishing Miroku or Sango were here. They always had the best plans. She imagined she'd been with InuYasha too long considering her tendency to just rush in to save someone's life. "We need a plan."

The pink haired girl nodded, but made no immediate suggestions.

Great, well she'd just have to improvise.

"Alright, you stay here and guard him. The villagers will be here soon, we need to help Sasuke and Naruto first. Be careful, okay?"

The girl nodded and all Kagome could see was the terrified fear that marred her face. She looked so helpless. Kagome wished she could do something to reassure her. As it was, the girl had a right to be scared.

Moving towards the glass dome, Kagome drew an arrow and knocked it against the bow. She needed to be careful, glass and children were never a good combination. Letting her powers move beyond her body, she released the tight locks she kept on them and felt the jewel at her neck flare to life.

The purple jewel pulsed at her energy and amplified it with it's own. She tried to ignore its desperate call as she locked onto the auras of the boys and another. She frowned slightly noticing the slight demonic aura coming from one of the children and filed the information away for later.

Stretching the drawstring, she felt her muscles quiver at the exertion. Instincts kicked in at last and she aimed and released, her body moving on her own even as it dodged the three icicle blades that whispered past her face.

She heard the sharp crack as a glass mirror broke, despite missing her mark.

After a moment, she heard Naruto's excited voice and Sasuke's angry shout. The crack sealed itself before they could break free, but Kagome felt her hope rise knowing the boys were both alright.

Notching another arrow, she filled it with more holy energy before letting it fly. The energy cracked the mirrors again, though this time the damage was enough for Sasuke's flame to melt the ice, and she watched with hope as they escaped.

Any celebration she felt was cut short as her instincts tingled sharply, warning her. She jumped forward, but it wasn't quite fast enough. A thick ice chunk ripped through her leg and she stumbled to her knees.

She had only a second to think before a dozen little darts came speeding towards her. She moved her bow in a quick twist, infusing her energy in the wood. It resisted her energy flow but she just pushed harder, feeling the wood warm beneath her fingers. The small spikes clung sharply against the invisible shield.

"What are you?" asked the masked man sharply, clearly disturbed.

She drew another arrow, aimed, and released on instinct even as the boys behind her struggled to overcome their shock.

"I'm just Kagome," she said honestly as she rose to her feet shakily. She shot the boy's a quick glance, and at least Sasuke seemed understand, or perhaps he was just battle hungry. Either way he jumped forward, his red eyes flashing as he moved through a quick set of hand-seals.

Wait, red eyes?

She threw herself backwards away from the battle, even as he heard a strange chirping from Kakashi.

Throwing a glance at the ninja, she found Zabuza locked in the jaws of at least a dozen dogs, unable to escape. However, just as he was about to collide with the demon, the small hunter-nin appeared at the front, taking the blow.

Kagome felt the scream erupt from her throat even before her mind processed the information.

The ice ninja was just a boy. His cracked mask fell harmlessly down into the water even as the boy slumped into the rapidly coloring water. Beside her, she heard Naruto's open sob.

"Haku!"

Whatever Kakashi thought about the situation, he grabbed the boy from the water and gently placed him on the bridge. Even from their distance, Kagome could see the despair on Zabuza's face.

In a few moments, Kakashi had broken the man's arms.

She turned away from the scene then, disgusted. These weren't demons they were fighting, but humans.

"Demon my ass!" shouted a voice from a distance. She glanced back to see a short man with a nasty group of thugs. She found herself sagging in exhaustion. More? She looked around over to see Naruto and Sasuke had joined Kakashi's side. Sakura was still standing further back, a look of grotesque disbelief on her face. "More like a baby demon!"

She scowled and grabbed another arrow, only thirteen left.

"Haha! I didn't think either you or your little boy-whore would do the job; hell, I wasn't even going to pay you afterwards!"

She pulled back and let the arrow fly; scowling as it barely grazed the man's cheeks—stupid cheap arrows.

He glared at her for only a second, but it was enough for Naruto to toss Zabuza a knife, and she watched in disbelief as he rushed the crowd, heading straight towards the one she assumed was Gato.

She couldn't stop the tears, even as she watched the demon get his revenge.


	17. I xv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta winced as Kakashi's gloved hands pressed lightly against his face.

"Shit!" he finally cussed, wondering why the man kept poking the clearly inflamed area. _That hurt!_ "Will you leave it alone-"

"Souta!" cried his sister, and he rolled his eyes. She could be such a prude sometimes. Besides, it wasn't her getting poked on the clearly broken jaw.

"Hmmm," the man said thoughtfully, his face a mask of concentration. Souta lifted a single brow in concern wondering for a moment if he had found something else. "They got you like a bitch, eh?"

He nearly fell over.

"THE HELL!" shouted Kagome, wacking the ninja on the back of his head. "If you're not going to do anything don't touch it!"

"Mou…" cried the man that had only hours before defeated the fearsome Zabuza. "That hurt!"

He felt a slight tick begin to develop in his eye. Why did this always have to happen to him?

"Good! Now stop harassing them. I thought you were supposed to be a teacher, what kind of teacher acts like this?"

"That's not nice…" mumbled the ninja, and Souta wondered for a moment if he had stepped into some alternate reality. He looked at his sister and found her wearing a similar expression.

"You're kinda creepy," mutter Souta through the pain.

"Hush Souta," reprimanded Kagome. "Now can you fix his jaw or not?"

"Well of course," he said nonchalantly. "But I doubt he'll stay conscious, we're all out of pain relievers."

Neither bothered mentioning that most of them had been used on Kakashi after Zabuza's first defeat. He glanced curiously towards Kagome when he heard her let out a resigned sigh.

"If I numb the area, can you set it?"

Now it was Kakashi's turn to look curious, almost anxious. From what Naruto had said, Kagome had 'wicked' aim with a bow, and even knew some freaky technique to block stuff with a bow. He had barely withheld the dark resentment at their praise. Kagome never failed to gain praise for her natural abilities. Stupid priestess powers…

"Yeah, but we'll need to do it immediately or else it'll grow incorrectly and he may never speak again."

He glared at the ninja nastily. Why was he always so dramatic?

"Ahhh," Kagome replied, and he glared at her, seeing her tight smile and tired eyes. They were doing this now? Surely it wouldn't make much more difference if they waited till morning? This was so stupid! He watched her stand and move behind him, placing her hands gently right below his ears. "Is this okay?"

Souta scowled inwardly as Kakashi shook his head and readjusted her hands atop his ears, muffling their voices. The ninja gave him a bright smile even while nodding silently to Kagome.

Then, without any warning, he could feel a fuzzy feeling slowly filling his head. It made his gums tingle oddly. He tried to speak, but his tongue suddenly felt like led, and all the pain in his face was disappearing. Closing his eyes, he marveled in the strange warmth echoing through his head. He almost felt like he was swimming in a warm bath...

Opening his eyes, he almost screamed, except he couldn't feel his jaw, and he had the feeling that even if he could, Kakashi's grip on his jaw would be Iron-strong. Not even an inch away was Kakashi's face; he could _feel_ his warm breath on his nose. Just a little closer and they'd be kissing!

"Ah! All done!" purred the ninja even as Kagome removed her hands slowly. The numbness didn't disappear immediately, and he glared darkly until Kakashi backed away. He moved to stand, except that his sister was giggling slightly at his face.

"You look hilarious," she said lightly, her own face oddly flushed. He would have frowned, if only he had control over his mouth at the moment. She swayed slightly on her feet. "I feel dizzy…"

He stared openly as she stumbled forward.

"Kago-"

"I think I'm gonna lay down…"

He felt a mixture of annoyance and gratefulness as the ninja moved quickly, easily grabbing his sister before she fell. He glared glumly as Kakashi offered him one of those awful eye-smiles before carrying the girl upstairs.

Stupid Ninjas… Stupid wells…

Maybe these adventures weren't quite as exciting as they had sounded.


	18. I xvi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi stared oddly down at the young woman in his arms. He had heard from word on the street that she was performing miracles in the nearby clinic, but he hadn't ever imagined she would be using healing jutsu so openly. That was incredibly dangerous if one didn't know what they were doing. Which brought him to his next thought: she was a trained healer, though not anywhere near Tsunade's level. Why hadn't she said so?

He frowned at her as he walked up the steps. She looked so peaceful asleep.

"Kagome…" he whispered quietly, tasting the name. She had saved his students with her arrows, he was certain of it, and for that he owed her a massive debt. He had promised to keep them safe, and nearly failed. _Like Ubito..._

Moving up the last step, he walked calmly past the room that housed his students. They were sulking in the bedroom after he had sent them away to deal with Souta. The last thing he needed while setting a broken jaw was three noisy children gossiping behind him. Still, the boy would have made an excellent ninja with his raw talent and knuckleheaded determination.

"Was that Sensei?" whispered Sakura so loudly he felt his eye twitch. What kind of whisper was that?

He smirked slightly at the soft thud of footsteps and door's sudden creak.

"Whoa…" he heard Naruto exhale.

"Hnn."

He paused in his slow walk momentarily, slowing down for dramatics, he turned towards the door. There was the instant shuffle of footsteps and Naruto's awkward laugh, but he found no one in the doorway. Good, at least they knew well enough not to get caught, even if their attempts at spying were dreadful at best.

He sighed; he really did have his work cut out for him...

Rolling his eyes as the whispers began again, he juggled the girl slightly in his arms, marveling silently at her weight. For such a skinny girl, she sure weighed a ton! With his right hand suddenly free, he twisted the knob and gingerly pushed it open. It creaked loudly. Walking in, he stood next to the girl's futon before squatting down and laying her on the mat. He could hear his cute little students whispering odd little tidbits from their new position behind the door.

"Do you think he knocked her out?"

"Of course not idiot," sneered Sasuke.

"Then what's wrong with her?"

"Maybe sensei kissed her!"

He nearly choked at that. What!

"What!" the boys cried noisily. He stifled a chuckle and pushed the girl's bangs out of her eyes. She had a slight fever, probably from nearing chakra exhaustion.

"Well they'd do that in the stories!" Sakura defended harshly.

"That was to wake the girl up, not put her to sleep!" corrected an annoyed Sasuke. Since when did Sasuke read fairytales?

"Mmmhhmm," moaned the sleeping girl, and Kakashi found his thoughts returning again to the girl, running his eye over her soft face. She was well tanned with a soft brown skin and thick black hair. She was cute at best in the non-traditional way. He found his eyes tracing over the small wrinkles that had formed beneath her eyes and in the corner of her eyes.

What was he going to do now?

The bridge would be finished in a few days and he had already sent his dog summon, Pakkun, out with a message to the Hokage that they had been delayed. They could wait a few more days, but then he would have to make a decision. Did he bring the two back with him as the rule book demanded, or should he let them go into the woods and hope they made it somewhere safe?

He stared at her soft face and struggled before standing.

A patter of footsteps moved through the top floor and Kakashi shook his head at their lack of stealth. He slid the door open, wincing slightly at the loud creak, and walked evenly to his team's room. They looked incredibly guilty.

Sakura was blushing madly and refused to meet his gaze. Sasuke was huffing on the bed, legs crossed and a book upside down in hand. Naruto was near the end of the bed, his face squinted into an oddly fox-like grin.

"Yo!"

"Idiot!" growled Sasuke as he kicked Naruto in the back. "Knock it off."

"Hey you bastard!" replied the boy angrily. "What was that for?"

"Hush! Ms. Kagome's sleeping!" Sakura exclaimed, smacking Naruto on the back of the head.

Laughing, he closed the door to their squabbles, a small part of him sighing in relief. He had been afraid the fight with Zabuza might have broken them. Death was never easy, especially on the first mission. He shivered to think of what might have happened had Kagome and Souta not been there.


	19. I xvii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome awoke slowly.

"What happened…" she muttered softly, clutching her head even as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"You're awake."

She looked over in confusion to see Sasuke sitting cross-legged next to her.

"What happened?" she repeated, blinking away the fog from her eyes. She looked at him oddly, noticing at once the small scratches lining his face and hands. That must have been from the fight.

He must have noticed her glances because he scowled deeply.

She found herself smiling despite it. He just looked so cute trying to be so angst-y, she couldn't help the giggle.

He looked at her like she had grown a second head and made to stand.

"Wait-Where are you going?"

"Sensei should know you're awake," he replied slowly, speaking like she was stupid. She scowled at his tone.

"Sit down," she commanded, folding her arms and pulling her legs beneath her in an indian-style. He looked a little surprised at her, but slowly lowered himself all the same. "Now, what happened?"

"Sensei said you fainted because of chakra exhaustion."

She frowned—she didn't have chakra.

"Is the bridge complete?" she asked, remembering that Tazuna still had a bit more work to do.

"Almost," replied the boy. She noticed at once his disappointed look and raised a brow. What was that about? "Sensei says we'll leave tomorrow."

She nodded. That made sense.

"Are you coming with us?" he suddenly asked, and Kagome looked at him oddly. That seemed a little out of character. He seemed to think so too, because he huffed and crossed his arms, looking away darkly. "Not that it matters!"

She figured the boy must have taken a liking to Souta.

"I don't think so," she replied thoughtfully, thinking about it herself for the first time. Everything had happened so quickly, the well, the ninja, Zabuza… She hadn't really had a lot of time to think about it.

No, she scolded herself. She hadn't wanted to think about it.

The well shouldn't be active at all. The jewel was the power that transported her back and forth between her home and the feudal era. When she wished on the jewel it had blocked that passage, emptying the jewel of power. Of course, it still echoed with the residue every now and then, but overall, it was little more than a bauble.

She touched the necklace lightly.

"We need to go home," she continued after a moment. "Souta has school, and Mama is bound to be worried."

She pushed herself out of the covers and looked over at the boy. He looked honestly disappointed and so sad. She smiled brightly though, and in an instant wrapped her arms around his tiny form. She felt his arms stiffen and the muscles beneath them tighten instinctively. It reminded her of InuYasha when they had first met.

"We'll see you again someday!" she said, crushing him to her chest. She laughed happily as he struggled in her embrace. It was really a helpless endeavor. She had far too much practice bathing reluctant fox demons.

"Hey!"

She looked in the doorway to see a wide-eyed Sakura and Naruto slack-jawed and speechless.

"Hey?" she responded, finally letting the poor boy go. He looked like a tiny tomato with his bright red face. She grinned evilly and turned to the two in the doorway. "Did you want a hug too?"

They were both spluttering, and in a moment she was on her feet, crouched forward. She jumped off with a spring and felt her joints pop at their sudden use. Her muscles burned, but she ignored them and just managed to clobber Naruto while Sakura rushed down the hall.

She laughed at his screams and rubbed her fist into his hair.

"Let me go you old hag!"

She paused for a moment, feeling annoyance creep into her voice.

"OLD!"

She honestly didn't remember the last time she had this much fun.


	20. I xviii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta looked curiously between Kakashi and his sister, wondering who would win this battle of wills.

"Souta and I are leaving."

"I'm sure Sakura and the others will be ready in a moment!" replied the other man with a simple shrug.

"No," Kagome ground out for the fourth time. They had been having this argument for at least fifteen minutes, and he wasn't seeing much end to it. "You and your students are going back to your village, and we're going home!"

"Of course," he replied, clearly not listening to a thing she said. Souta wondered silently if she was going to explode.

"Will you listen to me?" she shouted, and he marveled at how red she could turn when angry. She looked like one of those western devils that they talked about in school.

"Ah, but it isn't good manners to let a pretty girl wander the woods alone!"

"Souta and I can take care of ourselves," she practically growled.

"Like you did with the demon brothers?" She looked ready to scream.

"It was me that saved your kids from Haku, unless you've forgotten already."

Souta very much doubted he had from the way his back straightened. However he was saved an answer when Sakura and Naruto rushed down the bridge with a sour looking Sasuke. He wondered what they had been doing.

He sighed and rubbed his sore jaw, wincing a little at the touch. Kagome had woken him about an hour earlier so that they could travel back to the well alone when Kakashi had found them. It had all just fallen apart at that.

"See!" chirped the ninja happily, "all ready to go!"

He imagined that if she were a cartoon character, there would be smoke blowing out of her ears immediately. As it was, they really didn't have any choice except to let the group come along.

"Ugh!" groaned his sister angrily, and he watched in amusement as she stomped off ahead. When Sakura looked at him in concern, he shrugged his shoulders and followed after her, hoping she actually remembered the way back.

The woods all looked the same to him.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes in awkward silence, Kagome stomping ahead, while him and the others trailed a few feet back. Kakashi had taken up the rear again, and he glanced back to find his nose stuck in some strange little orange book.

He wasn't really sure he wanted to know what was in that. Men really weren't supposed to giggle like that…

"Souta, ne!" cried Naruto suddenly grabbing his attention. "You're face looks much better, believe it!"

"Ah…" he trailed off, not sure what to say to that. "Thanks?"

"Did Ms. Kagome do that?" asked Sakura suddenly. Souta nodded slightly and moving his jaw a little despite the pain. She had offered to finish healing it, but he hadn't wanted her too. It was his punishment for not being strong enough.

"Yea," he said softly. "She's really good."

"Oh yeah!" shouted Naruto, who pumped his fist in the air. "You should have seen the way she used her bow to block Haku's ice. It was crazy, she was just like schwaaa!"

He smothered a painful grin even as jealousy ate at his gut.

"I thought you were really brave," Sakura said softly, coming to walk beside him. He wasn't sure why, but he felt really comfortable with the girl. She glanced at him shyly before adopting an oddly guilty face.

Before he could ask, Sasuke spoke up for the first time, his face still sour.

"Where are we going?"

Souta found himself wondering the same. He noticed Kagome slump ahead and knew she was arguing desperately with herself. Would she trust them with the well's secret?

They had only known the group for what, a week and a half? Was that long enough?

He shrugged of the other's stares and continued to walk, for once happy that he didn't have to make the decisions.


	21. I xix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome stopped in the familiar clearing, her heart thudding dangerously in her chest. She heard the noisy chatter stop when she turned to them, an uneasy smile on her face.

"Why did we stop?" asked Naruto loudly.

She couldn't help but smile a little sadly at him. Somehow, she had the feeling that she would miss his annoying chatter and bright blue eyes.

"Because we're parting here," said Kagome softly. The boy looked even more confused then before.

"But there's nothing here but that old well!"

She nodded and watched as Souta let out a heavy sigh before coming to her side with sullen steps. He didn't want to go home. She pushed down her bright green skirt before resting a hand on his shoulder. Since when did he come up to her chest?

"Are you going to tell them?" the boy asked quietly, his face darkening as he glanced at the well. Now she knew she had all of their attention, and that horrible orange book dropped slightly. Would she?

"Naruto, we aren't going to a village." She said sadly as his eyes turned into wide saucers. She pulled her brother to the well and looked backwards, watching the others follow her. "That well is our home."

"Ugh!" sneered the boy as he stuck out his tongue. "You live in that!"

"Of course not!" she heard Souta reply, rolling his eyes. "We live on the other side!"

"But it just looks like an ordinary well to me," said Sakura who had come over to glance down the blackened depths. If she hadn't jumped down it so many times, she might have been inclined to agree.

She rubbed the worn stones reverently.

"Yeah," pulling out her brightest smile, she dragged Souta to her, pulling him in a fierce hug, almost afraid if she let go he might disappear. "I'm glad we got to meet you guys."

She watched as Souta nodded in agreement, his face a sad mixture of agreement and depression.

"We won't forget you!" said Naruto assuredly, his face incredibly serious. She didn't doubt his words for a moment. Sakura and Sasuke nodded slightly beside him. She turned to Kakashi and bowed deeply. He looked oddly speculative and disbelieving. She always marveled how easily it was for a child to accept the way things were.

"Thank you for your protection!"

She ribbed Souta and watched out of the corner of her eyes as he bowed slowly. Rude brat.

Straightening herself, she grabbed Souta's hand and turned her back to the group and towards the well—towards home. She didn't remember ever being so desperate to get back.

Stepping up on the lip of the well, she balanced precariously even as she helped her brother join her. He was shaking slightly and she wasn't sure if it was from fear or tears. She didn't look at him or the people behind her when she jumped in.

"Sayonara!"

And holding tightly to her brother's hand, she sighed happily at the bright green light filled her senses. They were finally going home…

When the lights finally died down, she looked up to see the familiar roof atop their heads. They were back! She grinned at her brother, only to find him already climbing moodily out of the well.

What was his problem?

Following the boy up, she slid the traditional shoji screen open, taking a deep breath of the familiar scents. She had forgotten the refreshing feeling of being home. Looking out towards the God Tree, she allowed herself a wistful smile.

"It's good to be home," she said softly, looking over towards her brother.

"Whatever," he muttered even as he marched across the yard. She flinched a little at his angry tone.

"We should go tell Mama we're back," Kagome replied.

"Then go tell her."

She frowned beginning to feel angry.

"What is your problem?"

"What's it matter to you?" he said snidely, stopping long enough to glare. She felt her hackles rising.

"Why are you being such a brat? Aren't you even happy to be back?"

"No," he said angrily. "Maybe I'm not!"

"You can be so selfish," she said darkly, a bitter taste rising in her throat. "Mama's probably worried sick!"

"That never stopped you," he hissed back. She froze instantly, feeling as though she'd been slapped.

"Excuse you?"

"What you suddenly can't hear me?" She openly stared as he turned to her, his face reddening with rage. "I said that never stopped you!"

"I heard what you said!" she shouted, fingers fisting.

"Then stop acting stupid!" he shouted back. "What makes you think you're so special huh? You act like your some special gift to mankind—well you're not! You left us all the time and now you"

"You jerk!" she screamed, anger clouding her better judgment. Before she could consider her actions, she pulled back her hand and swung. The resounding slap echoed in the desolate courtyard.

Kagome found herself staring into startled brown eyes.

"I hate you," he whispered turning around and fleeing. All of her anger twisted from her body, and she stared at his retreating back feeling a slow void fill her heart.

_I hate you…_

How had this happened?

He didn't turn around even as the tears began to leak from her eyes.

_I hate you…_

The tears turned to sobs and she squeezed her fist tightly, closing her blurring eyes. She had done it for his on good. That place was dangerous and unkind. They weren't meant for that world and this was a mercy. She couldn't let him get involved, couldn't let him prolong the goodbyes.

_I hate you…_

And despite all of her good intentions, the words didn't hurt any less.


	22. Interlude: Kun Loon

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kun Loon stirred the rice as she thought.

It always helped to cook when she was in an odd mood. It kept her hands busy while her mind strayed from subject to subject. It was a habit she had picked up from her own mother when she was little. She had thought that Kagome might do so as well, but the girl's cooking abilities only really extended to the basics: Ramen, Rice, and the occasional bento. They were lucky InuYasha enjoyed the stuff so much.

She lowered the heat as the water began to bubble uncomfortably close to the top.

Kind of like Kagome and Souta's tempers lately. She sighed miserably as she poked the frying fish. They were the reason for the rather large amount of food in her fridge.

It had taken several hours of wheedling to get the story from the two. She had been terrified with worry when they had suddenly disappeared Friday afternoon. If it weren't for the fact that the well shed had been open, she would have called the police.

So when the two had suddenly shown back up a week and a half later, she had urgently demanded answers.

What she got was nowhere near her expectations.

"Ninja?" she muttered, still feeling the shock. She had yet to decide if that was better or worse then demons.

She stirred the rice again, scraping the sides gently. Neither had been quite the same since returning. For what felt like the thousandth time, she cursed that horrid well that caused so many problems. She had honestly thought about just destroying the thing, but Kagome had gone on and on about her duty to collect those jewel shards.

And knowing how much the girl wanted it, she found herself agreeing despite her desperate fears. InuYasha's promise to protect her had made it a bit more tolerable, but with each new scar and bruise, she found her resolve wavering more.

But when Kagome had come back the last time for good with that horrid jewel wrapped around her neck, Kun Loon found herself sighing in relief. It was over, and she prayed Kagome would go back to her life as it had been.

But she didn't.

She had moped around for weeks, and despite everything she tried, seemed resigned to her fit of depression. Honestly, she had scheduled a meeting with the psychologist for the day after the two had disappeared.

A loud whistle broke her thoughts and she moved the kettle from the stove before pouring herself some tea. She let the green tea steep in the cup on the counter before completely rotating the fish in the skillet.

Whatever had happened on the other side of the well (she got the impression it had involved a lot of fights), the two siblings had returned with a nasty argument. She had found Kagome sobbing in the yard and Souta staring desperately at the well shed.

She recognized the look immediately and felt her heart break.

She imagined it was the curse of the Higurashi. Their father had been the same way. Once he tasted an adventure he hung stubbornly too it until it consumed him. It was what had caused him to run into a burning shrine to save her mother. Neither had made it out alive.

She shook back the tears and heaved a heavy sigh, wishing for not the first time that he were here.

"Daughter," said an aged voice from behind. She turned to see her own father standing in the doorway, a tired look in his eyes and an open letter in his hands.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, feeling worry twist in her stomach.

"Souta's teachers called. They're worried at his attitude, apparently he's been acting very reserved and his grades are dropping seriously." She sighed, already knowing where this was going. "I found this in the trash."

She took the document quietly while turning off the burners on the stove.

She frowned at the odd doodles on the side, pictures of flaming hands and spiraling marks. But it wasn't the pictures that really caught his attention. It was the words written in the middle.

"Tree walking, water walking…" she read aloud, looking concerned at her father. "What is this?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. His shoulders slumped and he took a seat at the table. "But he was in the bathroom for five hours yesterday."

"Five," she asked curiously. Even Kagome had never spent that much time in the bathroom. "What was he doing?"

"I don't know. I went to open the door, but he had locked it. He's been drawing on his walls again too."

She pinched her nose and grabbed the tea, fixing some more for her father.

"Daddy," she said at last. "I don't know what to do…"

"I know," he replied, and she felt the tears begin to well in her eyes. There really wasn't anything else to say. What more could they do? She leaned against his lap and let him stroke her hair as he had when she was a child. "Have faith, everything will be alright…"

And for a moment, she let herself believe his lies.


	23. Part II: Finding Higurashi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta chewed his lip even as he finished the letter.

"It's better this way," he said softly placing the paper on his bed. The white stood out starkly against the deep blue sheets. He turned away before he began to second-guess himself.

He had written and rewritten the letter so many times he could probably recite it verbatim.

He picked up his packed bag and held tightly to Naruto's kunai. He had packed enough ramen to last him a week and a half, a pot to cook it in, and a couple changes of clothes. He had packed a small pouch of first aid care for just in case as well. Shouldering the weight he crept slowly from his room, careful not to make any noise as he passed his sister's bedroom.

She would probably be furious.

She seemed to constantly be furious with him. He had wanted to apologize for telling her he hated him, but she had just ignored him. If she wanted to act like that he wasn't going to deal with her. She wasn't being fair anyways. So she could go running around the feudal era but he couldn't even say a real goodbye to his friends?

He sighed and carefully made his way down the stairs being careful to jump the last one that creaked.

He finally understood why she hated school though.

How could anyone stand to sit in those boring classes when they could be doing something _real? _He didn't want to sit and learn about frog's reproductive cycle! What was he really going to do with that anyways?

He wanted to get stronger! He wanted to be able to make a difference in the world! Was that really so wrong?

Grabbing a cookie off the stove, he glanced quickly in the living room at his grandfather who was snoring contently in his favorite recliner. He felt a touch of guilt twist his stomach, but squished it ruthlessly. He had made a decision, and he wouldn't let himself back out now!

Opening the back door, he paused with wide eyes when it squeaked loudly. He stood perfectly still, his heart thumping in his chest, even as he listened intently for his grandfather's snores. He waited a few seconds, feeling his muscles burn, before opening the door the rest of the way, and closing it with a hurried click.

Without glancing back, he walked to the well shed, his and tugged his bag determinedly. This was his chance! This was _his _chance to make a mark on the world. He'd show everyone that he wasn't just some weak little brother!

Entering the shed, he breathed in the familiar musty smell and felt the tingling fear that ran beneath his skin. There would be no going back once the deed was done.

He swallowed the thoughts and stepped up to the dark hole, feeling like an eternity separated him from his destiny. It was a really far jump; he would likely sprain his ankle, if nothing worse, if this didn't work.

Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath of the musty air before taking the step forward. His foot met with nothing and he felt the sensation of falling. He swallowed a scream and kept his eyes squeezed tight, waiting for the impact.

It never came, and he opened his eyes to the strange green lights floating around him. It honestly looked like a meadow lit with fireflies.

"How beautiful…" he whispered, tasting the excitement. He let out a soft sigh as the lights died down and he found himself at the bottom of a familiar well, the large green vines trailing the sides.

Dragging himself slowly up the side, he panted heavily when he finally made it to the top and swung himself over. Seriously, how did Kagome do that so often? Lying on the grass, he took a moment to catch his breath before picking himself up and readjusting his bag.

With a nervous grin, he looked towards the rising moon in the West.

"Well I guess I better get going!" he said nervously, allowing to realization to hit him that he had actually done it. He was actually going on an adventure, and he was going to be a hero. He was going to prove himself to the world!

His hand tightened on the kunai. This was his chance, and there was no way he was looking back!


	24. II i

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome awoke to her mother's frantic cries. Without thinking, she rolled out of bed and grabbed the arrow beneath her pillow and the bow by her bed. She swung open the door even as she knocked the arrow to her bow, rushing down the hallway.

She entered her brother's room without hesitation, her arrow moving furiously to find the threat.

"Kagome!" her mother cried, and she loosened the bowstring, feeling the warm string grow slack. What was going on? Where was Souta and why was her mother crying?

She lowered the bow and looked at her grandfather, trying to blink out the crust in her eyes.

"Mama, what's wrong?"

She watched in dismay as her normally strong mother crushed a note angrily in her hands, red eyes puffy and glossed.

"Souta's run away," her grandfather said finally, his face contorted oddly. She had never seen him look like that before. He didn't seem like the senile grandpa that liked to collect odd trinkets—he looked scary!

"What do you mean he's-"

"He's gone!" her mother shouted, finally finding her voice. "He's gone back and this is all my-all my…"

She stared at the older woman in shock, not quite certain if she had heard properly.

"Back where?" she asked softly, praying it wasn't the well. Please, oh please don't be the well!

Her grandfather let out an angry sigh and Kagome felt her heart sinking into despair.

"But he wouldn't do that, he knows how dangerous-"

"He's gone," her mother said darkly, shaking the crumpled letter in her hand. "He's gone to _prove _himself. Do you know what he's talking about?"

That feeling was growing in her gut. He wasn't that stupid was he? He wouldn't go back to that dangerous world just for _pride…_

Right?

She sucked in a breath and scowled deeply.

"When did he leave?" she asked as she squeezed her bow tightly.

"Last night," her mother responded quietly, clearly distressed that he had managed to sneak past her. Kagome found herself scowling at the notion. "I hadn't thought anything of it. But the door was unlocked this morning…"

Kagome nodded.

"So he's got a half a day head start," she muttered to herself, walking out of the boy's room and back into her own. She opened her drawers and began to pull out clothes; careful to get something for the cold mountains she had seen in the distance, just in case.

"Kagome," she heard her mother say even as she stuffed that giant yellow bag with extra socks and boots. "What are you doing, you can't-"

"Mama," she said softly, stopping her packing for a moment to look at the desperate woman. "Souta's only eleven, he doesn't know what it's like on that side of the well. He probably thinks it just like those stupid games he plays. He's going to get hurt acting so reckless!"

She watched her mother shiver and heaved a deep sigh.

Abandoning the packing, she grabbed her mother tightly in a hug, taking in the sweet scent of peppermint and basil.

"Mama, I promise you I'm gonna bring Souta back," she said evenly, pulling away slightly to look in the older woman's eyes. "And when I find his arrogant butt I'm gonna beat him all the way home!"

She grinned widely as her mother tried to hide a relieved smile.

"You have to be careful," said the woman desperately.

"Of course," Kagome replied even as she resumed her packing. Ten minutes later she loaded a bag almost half her size against her back, her quiver clamped tightly to the right for easy access.

She strode to the well house with confident steps, waving a quick goodbye to her mother even as the familiar wave of nerves settled in her stomach. She vaulted over the well edge before she had any more time to think about Souta and his stupid actions.

She let the distracting green lights cover her body, ignoring the awkward pull that felt so different from her jump to the feudal era.

Her feet fell gracefully against the well floor, and she didn't hesitate to climb out. Pulling herself easily over the lip of the well, she noticed at once the bent grass in the approximate size of her brother's torso.

"You really did it," she muttered angrily. "Souta, you idiot!"

_We won't forget you!_

She shook away the memory and looked to the East, knowing instantly exactly where he was heading.

"You damn fool…" she whispered even as she began to move through the familiar underbrush. When she found that knucklehead, she was going to beat him senseless! As Naruto would say, believe it!


	25. II ii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta stumbled tiredly through the forest. The land here was much more hilly then that of wave-country. He really hoped he was going in the right direction…

How did Kagome and Kakashi make this look so easy?

He sighed and looked towards one of the nearby trees, noticing at once it's close limbs and tall stature. He grinned, ignoring the tired groan of his muscles, and pulled his chakra into his feet just as he had been practicing continuously for the last week. He stuck his foot against the tree trunk and then another, marveling after a moment as gravity refused to take place.

Putting another foot in front of the other, he slowly made his way up the tree, sweating profusely as he made it to the lowest and thickest bough.

Wiping his head, he sat gingerly on the branch even as he pulled out some of his grandfather's rope, carefully tying it around the branch and his sleeping bag. Finally, certain that he wasn't about to fall out of the tree in his sleep, he crawled in the bag and allowed himself to sleep.

When he awoke, he felt incredibly sore.

How did InuYasha sleep in these things?

He yawned loudly and pulled himself out of the ropes and sleeping bag—untying everything and rewrapping his stuff. He felt his stomach grumble hungrily even as he stared at the rather nasty drop to the ground.

"Ugh," he muttered quietly as he held his stomach. "I'm hungry…"

So what for breakfast? Ramen, cookies, or the little chocolate snack bars his mom usually packed for lunch.

He dug in his bag and smiled brightly as his hands wrapped around a small protein bar. Perfect! Unwrapping it quickly, he ate the bar before looking at the wrapper oddly. What should he do? If he put it in his bag it might attract ants, but littering was wrong…

He considered the choices carefully for a moment, cautiously inching towards the bag even as another part of him told him to just drop it. He struggled with the problem before a cold gust of wind solved the problem and sent the paper flying from his hands.

He felt guilty for a moment before shrugging it off.

Well, nothing to do about it now. Shouldering the bag again, Souta leaned slightly over the limb, concentration the chakra to his feet while trying desperately not to look down.

He felt the soles of his shoes stick to the tree before he allowed himself to stand perpendicular to the tree trunk.

Now what?

He didn't dare look down, already fully aware of the nauseous churning in his stomach. Maybe he could walk backwards?

Moving slowly, almost crawling, Souta made his way to the ground.

"Next time," he said to himself, "I'm picking a shorter tree."

When he finally felt his heel bump against dirt, he allowed himself to look down. However, the action caused him to lose concentration, and he fell the short two-inch distance onto the hard, cold Earth.

He groaned and pulled himself off the ground.

"Well that was… unique," said a voice from behind. He swung around immediately, the warm kunai in front of him as he crouched slightly at the threat. A tall man stood before him with three long lines cut into a headband that twisted slightly to the side. He had normal brown eyes and muddy red hair that fell down his back in a short braid.

"You are a civilian," said the man suddenly, and Souta scowled deeply. For some odd reason he really hated that phrase.

"What's it to you!" he growled out, not leaving his stance.

The man in front of him disappeared and reappeared in front of him, knocking the kunai away with ease.

"Little boys shouldn't be playing with knives," said the man even as he grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. Souta struggled and kicked to get away, but the man's grip was iron strong.

"I'm not a boy!" he shouted, still kicking. He needed to get out of here quick before they tried to kidnap him or something terrible.

"Oh?" He glared as the man smiled cheerfully at him. "My apologies sweetie, I couldn't tell you were a girl under all of that dirt."

He blushed profusely. What!

"Hey! That's not what I meant; you put me down right now! I'm a guy, I'm a guy!"

The ninja actually laughed at that, and Souta growled. Why would nobody take him seriously? He wasn't just some kid to be laughed at! Grabbing the arms that were holding him up, he channeled chakra through his hands and gasped in surprise when the man flung him at the tree he had slept in.

He hit the wood with a harsh creak and felt his breath leave him with empty gasps.

"Sensei!" shouted a voice from their right. Souta blinked through the tears in his eyes to see a small brunette running up towards the ninja, a similar headband wrapped around her neck. "Are you okay?"

The ninja looked thoroughly embarrassed. Souta wondered why.

"Ah," he replied with a soft smile. He looked towards him, and Souta scowled as he tried to extract himself from the tree—that would probably leave a bruise.

"Who are you?" asked the girl suddenly, her black eyes staring at him strangely. "And why did you walk down the tree backwards? Are you a missing nin?"

He blinked a little at her words. What the hell was she talking about?

"Mah!" said the ninja suddenly, appearing behind him again and pulling him upwards. "She asked you a question."

He felt his feet leave the ground as the man held him like you would a kitten, by the scruff of it's neck. He scowled at the man angrily, a string of obscenities rushing from his mouth.

"You aren't very nice."

"Let me go!"

"Where are you from kid?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Your mama's probably worried, you should really hurry home."

"I'll show you home you ugly-"

He sputtered indignantly when the man's hand immediately wrapped a piece of tape around his face and then his hands.

"I don't appreciate your mouth young man," the ninja finally said, dropping him to the ground. He rolled on the floor for several moments in an attempt to loosen what felt like duct tape wrapped securely around his hands.

"What are we going to do with him sensei?"

He glared at the girl and the man. When he got out of these binds he was going to show them exactly what he had learned from Naruto!

The older man shrugged, not really caring.

"But we can't just leave him here!" cried the girl suddenly, her face contorting into fear. She looked ugly when she did that. "He might get eaten by bears!"

Bears… He looked at her like she was crazy. There were no bears in this part of Japan.

"I don't think they'd like him much," muttered the sensei, and Souta had the odd urge to bit the man. "He's too skinny and he probably tastes sour."

The girl giggled slightly and looked at them both like they were crazy. Why couldn't it haven been Kakashi and Sakura who found him? This wasn't fair at all!

"We'll take him with us to Konoha," said the ninja finally, looking oddly downcast. "We're not too far south of it, the kid probably just ran away from home."

Konoha… Wasn't that the place where Naruto and the others were from?

He grinned inwardly even as the ninja shot him an aggravated look. This was going to be perfect!


	26. II iii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"This is ridiculous!" Kagome muttered angrily as she rubbed her temples. "Where's InuYasha when I need him! Or even Sango!"

She had been trying to track her brother through the wilderness all day and somewhere along the lines she realized that what she had thought were his footprints were actually bear claws. So either her brother had magically transformed into some odd variety of bear (which was very possible!) or she was completely lost (which was much more realistic).

Letting out a pitiful sigh she hiked her bag further on her shoulders and began walking. She supposed it really didn't matter which way she went so long as she found someone to give her directions.

She needed to get to Konoha and find Kakashi.

He would know what to do, or at least have some kind of suggestion for finding her brother.

She walked through the woods for several hours, mind churning through hundreds of scenarios. She found most of them surrounding how she was going to beat the tar out of her little brother when she found him. How could he do something so inherently stupid? This was the kind of stupidity that InuYasha did, not Souta!

When the sun neared the middle of the sky she took a moment to rest beneath a large tree, leaning back against the harsh bark. She pulled out a small candy bar and munched tiredly on it.

_"Kagome! Kagome!"_

_She smiled at the tiny fox demon bouncing around the campfire. How could anyone have that much energy after a long day of walking?_

_"Did you bring cho-choco-chock…"_

_"Chocolate?"_

_"Yeah that stuff! Did you bring any?"_

_She laughed at his delighted face, pulling out a small box of candies Mama had bought especially for him. He quickly devoured the box, not even bothering to savor it. She wondered briefly if it was a demon thing._

_"Now, now," Sango chastised from the other side of the fire. "What do you say Shippo."_

_He looked at her with those bright green eyes, and her heart instantly melted._

_"Thank you Kagome!"_

She shook away the memory with a heavy heart. She wondered silently what had happened to them. How many children did Sango and Miroku have? Did Shippo grow to be big and strong? Did Kirara still stay around?

"InuYasha," she whispered lowly, an image of the handsome half-demon growing in her mind. "I miss you…"

She stood and tucked the candy wrapper in a small plastic bag.

There really wasn't any time to think on these things. She needed to get Souta and get out of here as fast as possible. As much as she missed her friends, this wasn't the feudal era, and this wasn't his place. She needed to find him before someone, or something else did…

"Oh Souta," she whispered to the wind, "what have you gotten yourself into!"


	27. II iv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

It took until the end of the day before Minako convinced her sensei to release his gag. And then, when he took it off, he ripped it in one quick strip. Souta was sure that any mustache that might have wanted to grow would certainly not be doing so now.

Minako, as he found out, was an exceptionally kind gennin travelling to Konoha for the Chunnin exams. Apparently they were held every few years in different villages, and it was Fire's turn to host the tournament.

"I'm really nervous," she had confessed to him while sensei scouted ahead for _bears_. Souta thought he just got tired of being glared at. "This will be my first time at the Exams."

He had nodded sympathetically and filed the information away for later.

He learned that they were from the land of Rivers, which was somewhere to the west of Fire Country. He had actually been going the wrong way to get to Konoha, which was actually directly north and he was intensely lucky to have run into them.

Though his hands really disagreed.

"So why don't you have three people on your team?" Souta asked as they made their way up a winding dirt path.

She blushed and giggled softly at his question and he wondered abruptly what he had said.

"I'm not on a team," she said with a laugh. "In Tanigakure we don't have an academy like they do in the other villages. You have to have a lot of potential to become a ninja, and then the older ninjas determine if you're good enough to be their student."

"Is that you met _him_?" he sneered and nodded in the direction of the tall redhead.

"No," she admitted lightly with a small blush. "My mom was a ninja. When she died Sensei took me in. I wasn't supposed to be a ninja at first, but I got in so much trouble that he got tired of rescuing me."

He actually laughed at that.

"What about you?" she asked suddenly. "Are you in the academy?"

"No," he said finally, huffing a little. "But I'm going to be! I've been practicing a lot and I can walk on water and trees!"

She giggled and he found himself enjoying the sound. It reminded him of bells.

"I know," she said with a giant grin. "But why did you walk backwards down the tree? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?"

"No!" he said turning up his nose. There was no way he was telling her that he was scared of heights! "That's just my way!"

She nodded seriously, and he found himself wondering what was going through her head.

"Sensei always did say boys did things backwards."

He felt a bead of sweat drop awkwardly from his head. Seriously?

"Mah! I'm not backwards," he said confidently. "I just need more practice! You'll see, one day I'm going to be a great ninja and then I'll really be able to protect my sister!"

"You have a sister?" she said suddenly, her face a mixture of surprise. "What's she like? I've always wanted a sister!"

"No you don't," Souta replied as he stuck out his tongue in dismay. "They're gross. They get really annoyed at you once a month for no real reason. They take all of the good food for themselves, and they never want to play with you. I'd rather be an only child!"

She looked stricken.

"Brat," said the older ninja. He felt a hand whack the back of his head and he stumbled forward and glared at the man. "I told you about being mean!"

He felt a couple choice words flood his mouth.

"I'm not being mean you ugly tomato. She's mean and rude and never lets me do anything, but when she wants to do it it's okay!"

"Whatever sweetie," the man replied with a sickly smile. "You're just jealous. It's written all over your face."

"Sensei!" chided Minako.

"You're lucky to have a sister, and you'd do well to go home before she comes looking for you."

"Like you'd know anything," Souta sneered, but inside he felt the guilty worm twisting at his stomach. It honestly wasn't that he hated her; she was just too protective and never trusted him with anything. Even after so many months she still hadn't told him or their mother exactly what had happened during their last battle.

It wasn't fair!

"Of course," said the ninja sarcastically. "What would I know?"

"Jeez, I thought you'd never get it!"

He felt the elbow colliding with his skull far earlier then he saw it.

"Oww," Souta muttered miserably. "You're so violent! I miss Kakashi, at least he never hit me!"

Both ninja stopped dead in their tracks, and Souta found himself being held at arm's length, this time staring into serious brown eyes. For the first time, he felt fear welling in his stomach.

"How do you know that name boy?" said the ninja darkly, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about," said Souta even as he struggled in the man's grip. "Let me go you psycho! They lock people up for this kind of shit!"

"You moron," said the ninja even as he seemed to relax a little. "How do you know the Copy Cat Nin?"

"Copy what?" he asked blankly. The only thing Kakashi could probably copy was that stupid pervert book he carried around.

"The Copy Cat Nin," repeated the man, clearly astonished. "The man who copied over a thousand jutsu!"

"Doesn't sound familiar," Souta said honestly, feeling completely baffled. Maybe there were two Kakashi's? He had once been in a class with two other Souta's. It had made it very difficult during discussions.

The man dropped him roughly to the ground and Souta struggled to stand with his tied hands. He looked at Minako and noticed her shrunken form.

"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly, a little disturbed at her less then cheerful form.

Her sensei glared at him in warning even as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He had the distinct feeling that something was wrong.

"Hatake Kakashi killed my mom," she said quietly. He stared in confusion.

"Kakashi wouldn't do that!"

"He's a ninja boy," growled the redhead darkly. "You've no idea what we're capable of!"

He looked at Minako and couldn't help but disagree. There was no way the Kakashi he knew could have ever done something like that. He had saved him and Kagome; he had protected them from Zabuza!

"Whatever tomato," he said evenly. "You're wrong and I'll prove it!"

He marched forward ahead of the others and missed the ninja's shocked expression and Minako's soft smile.


	28. II v

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"Can I help you young lady?" asked a man in that familiar ugly vest. Surely there was prettier version of that horrid thing?

"I'm looking for Kakashi," Kagome said blankly, suddenly remembering she had not gotten a last name. "He's about this high, and he's got three little kids with him, a blonde, a brunette, and the pink one."

The stranger looked at her like she had grown another head.

"Yea," he said bluntly, "I think _everyone_ knows him."

"Oh great," she replied, smiling tiredly. She had been travelling for three days with no sign of Souta, and she was certain that if she didn't look like it, she smelled it. It was just plain embarrassing. Her arms felt sticky with dried sweat, her hair was oily and full of twigs, and her breasts' had developed a rather nasty scent. "Where is he?"

The man blinked and held out a hand.

She looked at it oddly.

"You're papers?" he finally said, waving the hand.

"Papers?" she asked slowly. He was really looking at her like she was crazy now.

"Some ID?" he tried again, raising a brow. "Everyone has to get an ID when they turn ten, no matter where they live, so don't even try the 'I'm from a tiny village.'"

She felt her ire rising at his sarcastic reply.

"My mama didn't take us because we were sick."

"For what, eight years?" he laughed. "Don't you know you can't lie to a ninja lady? Now cough up the papers, or did they get stolen by a bandit now?"

She ground her teeth and clinched her fist. Think happy thoughts, she told herself. But there really wasn't anything happy about the fact that her eleven-year-old brother was lost in this strange world and now this imbecile was holding her up for paperwork!

"Look, if you're not going to help me, I'll find the guy myself."

She moved to around him, but he shot out a hand and grabbed her arm. The grip was rather painful, and his cheerful face turned deadly serious.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but no ID, no entry. We're in the middle of an Exam right now, and we've got to be extra careful, you understand, don't you?"

"No," she said smartly. "I don't. My brother is missing in this crazy place and he left with some crazy notion he wants to become a stupid ninja, and if you don't let me by, I'm not going to find him. Do you understand _me_?"

She nearly snarled when the man began to let his aura leak into the air. She stood taller, allowing her own priestess power to fill the air. She felt the familiar prickle as it purified parts of his energy.

The man was part demon, she realized with a start. It wasn't much, just a hint of youki, the demon energy, could be felt, like a handful of sugar sprinkled in a pound of flour. She could almost hear the energy crunch.

Suddenly, she could understand those amazing speeds.

"I don't think you want to start something here," said the ninja even as he squeezed her arm. She pulled her powers from her core and let them warm the air, recognizing at least six different people with the same mixed auras.

How had she not noticed this with Naruto and the others?

She didn't have time to process it further when she jerked her hand away from the man, even as another hand grabbed her bow. She moved just in time to yank it off and slap the man across the face. A small cut formed where he hadn't been able to dodge quite in time.

"Bitch," muttered the man. She stepped back and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in alarm. She only barely managed to duck in time as a kunai came warningly close to her face.

The crowd that had gathered around her scattered at the weapon and she found an oddly masked figure crouched near the wall, another kunai in hand.

"Is there a problem here?" asked the masked figure in a nasal voice.

She could feel his energy even with it locked tightly within. This was not someone she wanted to try to fight. But then, if she wanted to save Souta, he was standing in her path. What should she do?

"The girl doesn't have an ID, Cat."

She didn't even spare the guard a glance as her eyes glared directly at the figure.

"What do you want?"

"I need to find my brother, and if you try to stop me, I will fight."

The woman saw Cat nod thoughtfully but did not relax her grip on her hand or the defensive stance. She couldn't drop her guard until she found someway to save Souta.

"You can see the Hokage," said the figure blandly. And then, without warning, the figure was behind her, a hand on her left arm and another on her hip. The world blurred in a burning wind of colors and energy and she nearly screamed at the feeling, except they were in a small hallway a breath later. She collapsed on the floor, keenly aware that she no longer had her bow, quiver, bag, or even the small hunting knife she kept in her shoes.

Cat waited patiently for her to stop panting on the floor before opening the door.

If she weren't feeling so nauseous, she would consider it kind.

Slowly pulling herself to her feet, she tried to resume some sense of dignity. She cast a nasty look at the masked fellow even as she straightened out the familiar creases of her green skirt.

"Come in," called a voice beyond the door.

She pushed it open cautiously and walked in, feeling bare and open.

The first thing she noticed were the windows. She counted ten and they surrounded the office, giving an excellent view of the entire city. Then she saw the gates that she had been only moments before and felt her stomach churn restlessly.

That had to be a few miles away, even InuYasha wasn't that fast. How had they done that?

"So you're the one starting all of the trouble," asked an old man hidden behind yards of white fabric. He looked bored with a long brown pipe poking out from beneath the cone-shaped hat. It looked like a fancy version of what the farmers wore out in the rice fields.

"I need to find Kakashi," she said honestly, sighing wearily. "My little brother met him on a mission and I think he's coming this way. I just want to know where he is, he's only eleven!"

She really wasn't sure if the older man believed her or not, but she sat when he beckoned her forward to a desk.

"You must be the mysterious well-girl he mentioned in his report."

She blinked, feeling somewhat stung. He had told their secrete? She bit her tongue to keep from admitting her annoyance.

"You need not worry," said the man kindly, guessing her thoughts. "Him and his students are under instructions that the well will be a S-class secrete until we've had time to analyze it properly. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a diplomatic event here and I am afraid we have no one free to do much more then find the daimyo's cat."

She frowned, fearing where this was going.

"My brother is not a ninja," she began, not really sure how to word this. "He's been gone for three days and I have no idea where he is. I don't honestly care about your exam-tournament-diplomatic whatever, I will not be leaving until I find my brother."

The older man looked at her curiously and she honestly felt like she was being dissected.

"I understand," said the man kindly. "You said the boy wants to become a ninja, and if Kakashi is the only ninja either of you have met, then he will likely seek him out. I can give word to the gate guards that if they see him they will bring him in."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked suddenly. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it, but why was he just blindly taking her in? People didn't just do stuff to be nice; she had learned that the hard way over the last three years.

"I would like to help you," said the old man with a grouch. "And from Kakashi's report, you saved two very special gennin."

Ah, she understood now. A life for a life. But Kakashi had saved her and Souta first, so in essence, they had truly been equal.

He let out a puff of smoke, and she smoothed out her skirt, anxiety making her fingers nervous.

"Am I going to get back my bow?" she asked shooting a look at Cat who she could feel disguised in the corner. She could hear the Hokage chuckle and the ninja's annoyance.

"No," replied the leader. "You may stay with Kakashi, however, until more suitable arrangements are made. We will also alert you when your brother appears."

She could hear the dismissal in his voice, but ignored it.

"You're not going to let me leave when he shows up, are you?" she asked darkly. He looked mildly shocked, but did not deny her words.

Turning on her feet she walked from the room with her head held high. This was the reason she hadn't wanted to come here. This kind of mess with too many people knowing about the well, wanting to study it, endangering their family… She was going to beat Souta into a pulp as soon as she found him.

Cat moved from the shadows and she cast him a distasteful look.

"I don't suppose we could just walk, eh?"

Her only reply was the blurring room and burning wind.


	29. II vi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

A/N: This is a message to let you know that these chapters have not been edited more then a quick spell check. I will do that when I finish the story. Thanks and enjoy…

Kakashi watched the girl oddly from his perch on the window. She hardly seemed like the same woman he had left behind at the well in Wave Country. Whereas the Kagome he knew was confident, kind, and full of passion, the one in front of him appeared broken and afraid. Her face, which usually held some kind of emotion (typically distrust and anger), just seemed empty and pale.

She looked so frail, rubbing the red beads of the rosary between her fingers. He must be getting old, because he felt the distinctive urge to comfort her.

"Don't worry so much," he finally said, breeching the silence with a plastered smile. "He'll be okay! It's just a matter of time before he shows up at the gates…"

She did not look satisfied.

"He's eleven, I'll be lucky if he doesn't get skewered by a mountain boar."

He blinked. Well that was optimistic…

"There aren't any mountains to the south of us."

"Well that's good," she said dryly. "That just leaves what, poisonous spiders, snakes, bears, and ninja! Assuming he doesn't run out of food first, then he'll die of starvation, or bathe in a river and catch pneumonia. He doesn't know the first thing about real survival except what he learned in boy-scouts."

"Boy scouts?" he asked curiously.

"It's some stupid group that teaches how to survive in the wilderness."

"Then why are you worried?" This boy scouts sounded like what they taught in the academy. Surely he would be fine to travel only a few hundred miles. The snakes would not be on the main paths, and Wave had no ninja. Assuming the boy didn't take any detours, he could arrive any day.

"Because he doesn't know anything about protecting himself!" she exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes, rosary clinched in her fist. "I should have just told him everything, maybe none of this would have happened…"

Now he was interested—getting her to talk about her past was like pulling teeth.

"Souta is strong minded, much like you, I doubt things would be different."

The tears were actually falling steadily and he struggled inwardly with what to do. Should he comfort the girl? Should he leave her alone? He stood slowly and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

Before he knew what was happening, however, she had wrapped her arms around him and he stiffened at the contact. He clamped down on the instinct to flee and stroked her hair as he remembered his own sensei doing for him.

They stood that way for several minutes, her tears seeping into his uniform and snot dripping from her nose.

"I'm sorry," she whispered slowly as she pulled away. He let her go and rubbed his hair uncomfortably. "I didn't mean too… I mean, I'm-"

"Mah," he waved casually to her. "It's okay!"

And then she was falling into pieces again. What had he done this time! He put his hands in front of him terrified.

"No, no. I'm sorry, please don't cry!"

She paused for a moment, and seemed to stare at his face, until a small giggle poured unconsciously from her mouth. He blinked and she covered her mouth with a terrified expression.

"Did you just…"

She shook her head with large, doe-like eyes.

"You laughed at me!" he exclaimed, hoping that she'd do it again. Anything was better then the tears. "I'm so unappreciated…"

"No, no!" she said suddenly, buying into his routine hopelessly. Had she been this gullible before? "It's not that, I'm sorry, but you looked so much like InuYasha for a moment…"

He lifted a brow, curious again. He had heard her and Souta arguing about that person before. Was that the man she was in love with?

"I mean you don't look at all like him," she said tiredly with a yawn. "But he hated when I cried. He would make that same face…"

She slowly picked herself out of the couch and he watched her rub her eyes lightly.

"Thank you Kakashi," she finally said, sincerity lining the depths of her face. She glanced at the small stain on his shirt, and he knew exactly what for. "Good night."

He nodded and let her leave, his mind whirling with questions. He swallowed them for the moment though, knowing he'd need patience to unravel this mystery. The Hokage had sent him specific instructions to uncover her secrets, discover if she was a threat, and keep her firmly away from Danzo. He certainly understood why.

_He looked up just in time to see an arrow infused with pink chakra embedded in the ice mirror, shattering it on impact._

Her fight with Haku had proven to him just how dangerous she could be. He seriously doubted, however, that she would just randomly start attacking the village. Her agenda had always been to take her brother and leave.

Still, he could understand Danzo's interest. Her raw energy caused his skin to prickle and sting, almost as though he were naturally allergic to it. He had never heard of such a bloodline.

He grinned beneath the mask, eyes glinting beneath the ceiling light. He would enjoy this challenge.


	30. II vii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome awoke disoriented.

She stared oddly at the blank walls and unfamiliar futon for a moment before remembering where she was.

"Kakashi…" she whispered thoughtfully. Her conversation from the day before came back, and she blushed hotly. What he probably thought of her, crying and comparing him to InuYasha!

"Stupid, stupid!" she muttered even as she pulled herself out of bed. She frowned down at the puppy dog pajamas before grabbing the towel, shampoo, and extra clothes she had packed. Creaking the door open, she looked to make sure the coast was clear—there was no way in hell she was about to let Kakashi or his students see her pajamas!

Certain that there was no one in the hallway, she snuck quickly from her room and moved to the bathroom, only to feel something slam into the back of her head. Not prepared for the pain, she crashed to the floor in a heap.

"Yo! Eh, Kagome? What are you doing on the floor?"

She felt her eye twitch as the fully dressed ninja stared down at her curiously, that single brow raised in a perfect arch.

"You!" she shouted as she scrambled to her feet. "You-"

"Mah, Kagome, if you wanted in my room, you had only to ask. I would never treat a woman so-"

"Pervert!" she shouted and moved to slap him. However, unlike Miroku, he was a ninja, and he evaded easily. Fuming she turned around and stomped to the shower, sending him a warning glare of her shoulder.

He chuckled lightly and sent her a peace sign.

She made sure to double-check the lock on the door before she undressed and started the shower. Stepping in, she let the water run down her body and soothe the sore muscles. It had been a long walk from the well to Konoha, and it had made her realize just how out of shape she had gotten.

Had it really been so long since they travelled all of Feudal Japan in search for the Shikon shards?

She sighed slowly and touched the necklace, feeling the small wisps of power it excluded. Even after the final wish, it had not disappeared like they had all expected. Instead everything had just warped and the small jewel had turned into a tiny crystal bauble that seemed so similar to the ones her grandfather sold as trinkets.

It was useless now though.

She began to scrub her hair, letting her mind trail into the past.

_"Kagome," cried the little fox demon, holding tightly to her skirt. She tried to grab him, hold him to her, but she was slipping away with every second. Her translucent hands moved through him without touching._

_"Lady Kagome," said Miroku sadly even as he held the sobbing Sango in his arms. It was just too much to soon. She wouldn't even get a real goodbye? "You must be careful of the jewel, even in it's current state it can be dangerous!"_

_"You dumb bitch," mumbled InuYasha from beside the tree, his golden eyes glossy. "You weren't supposed to wish on it yet…"_

_She wanted to reply, but her vocal chords had stopped working and emotions had clogged her throat. Had she been able to talk, she would have apologized, she would have screamed his name._

"No," Kagome said, twisting the knob quickly to the right. The freezing water jerked her from her thoughts instantly. What was done was done. She turned the shower off and dried off gingerly. "Pull yourself together girl! You've got to be strong for Souta!"

She dressed in that familiar green skirt and top before wrapping her hair up with a towel.

The room was empty and quiet.

"Oh!" she said as she noticed the small note on her door. "Meeting at training ground three, food in the fridge, back later… hmm… He sure writes sloppy."

Folding the note evenly, she laid it on her dresser and began to comb her hair. She had woken at dawn like usual, so it would likely be several hours before the stores opened. She blamed InuYasha for that particular habit.

Replacing the brush, she walked out of her room and into the kitchen. It was, quaint, and nothing like what she had expected. It had a small range with two electric burners and an oven she could probably fit one pan of cookies in. There was just enough counter space to cook on, and she found the cabinets almost bare.

"Ewww," she said as she opened the fridge experimentally. It smelled oddly of old fish, and by the look of that giant pot of food, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. Aside from that he had one small gallon of milk and a bottle of mayonnaise. "Well at least it's not expired…"

What exactly was she supposed to help herself too again, rotten fish?

She sighed sadly and looked through her bag for snacks. She was down to three packages of chicken flavored ramen and several water bottles.

"I am not having ramen again," she muttered with annoyance. She looked outside to the rapidly brightening sky. Maybe _something_ would be open? She searched her bag and found the small billfold of money. Well, she wouldn't know until she looked, right?

Time to go shopping!


	31. Interlude: Naruto

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Naruto glared bleakly at the back of the person who had taken his spot at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand. Everyone, and he meant everyone, in the village knew that was his spot. No one dared sit in his seat at this time of the morning, so why was this stranger there!

How could Teuchi let them?

He felt tears begin to fill his eyes; he had been betrayed by his first love. How could the ramen stand do that to him? Had he not always been a good customer? Had he not always shown his appreciation for their different flavors?

Was he not a living tribute to the food?

"WHY!" he screamed, the build up too much. He heaved heavily as the person swung around at the noise, black hair streaming in the wind and blocking his view of their face. "My seat! You let them take it, old man… How could you?"

He was outright crying now, large tears pouring from his eyes and snot dripping from his nose.

"Why…"

"Naruto?"

He looked up suddenly at the familiar voice, his hysteria momentarily forgotten.

"Kagome?"

He stared at her for a moment, taking in the familiar chocolate eyes, the long black locks, and sun-kissed skin. Then, without a word, he vaulted the distance between them and threw himself at the girl, arms wrapping around her torso. She swung him around easily, dancing in place, he laughed happily.

"You're back! Did you miss me? It's been so boring without you and Souta! Where is he by the way?"

Her laughter died away and he looked at her in confusion. Why was she suddenly looking so worried?

"I don't know where he is," she said finally, heaving a sigh. "He left four nights ago, I came back to find him, but…"

He frowned thoughtfully, before smiling brightly.

"Don't worry 'Gome!" he said excitedly, and he felt his heart swell when her dark mood seemed to disappear a little. "We'll find him! I will always protect my precious people, that's my ninja way!"

He blushed a little as she pulled him to her, a proud look on her face. He shouted loudly when she took the moment to dig her knuckles into his head.

"Oww! Oww! What's that for?"

"Don't call me that horrible name!" she shouted back, clutching him tightly. "And don't you dare go looking for him too, cause if you both go missing I'll kill Kakashi."

"Wh-What!" said an annoyed voice behind them. Naruto looked behind him to see his sensei twitching with a wide, comic eye. "Why me?"

"Because it's your job to keep them safe."

Naruto grinned cheekily from between Kagome's arms. He stuck his tongue out even as Kakashi gave him a nasty glower.

"Aren't you supposed to be at our team practice?" asked the sensei rudely.

"But you're not there, you're late…"

"I'm Sensei, I'm allowed to be late."

He sputtered even as Kagome let go of him.

"That's not even fair!" said the woman grouchily. "And speaking of fair, what's up with that fridge. You said help yourself, to what exactly? Expired fish soup?"

Naruto looked at her strangely.

"How do you know what's in sensei's fridge?"

She sputtered indignantly and Kakashi grinned at her with one of those lecherous smiles he got when he read that perverted book of his. He looked between them before smiling darkly, the realization clicking into place.

"Kaka-sensei!" shouted Naruto loudly. "You said that boys and girl's weren't supposed too-"

"NARUTO!" shouted Kagome dangerously, her fist coming dangerously close to his head. "If you finish that statement, so help me, I will crush you!"

He flinched and fell backwards, a cold sweat breaking over his body.

"Maaaa… Kagome, you're scary when angry…"

She shook her fist threateningly at him before turning on heel and stomping away towards the market place from his place on the floor. A large hand fell on his shoulder and he looked over to see his sensei pull him to his feet. He gave him a large smile in thanks.

"You're still late Naruto," said the man in a bored voice. "That will be five laps around Konoha."

The blonde looked at him with no little shock.

"All of Konoha? But that'll take _forever_!"

"Make it six," said the ninja with that evil grin. "I would get going before I make it seven…"

Naruto jumped to his feet and ran off at full force, glancing back only to see the ninja disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"Aww," he muttered as he ran. "And I didn't even get any ramen…"


	32. II viii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Several days later found Kagome sitting quietly on the docks of Konoha's small pond. It was peaceful there and she found it easy to think beneath the shady willow. So it was there, sitting on the edge of the dock, feet swinging close to the smooth lake below, that Sasuke found her.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she asked lightly, her eyes never leaving the setting sun.

"My brother used to bring me here," he said quietly, taking his seat beside her. She didn't say anything to that, understanding it was a hard subject. She wasn't clear on the details, but the kid had seen hell was obvious.

"I used to do the same for Souta," she replied after several moments, listening to the breeze as it brushed her face. "There was a park not far from the house and I would let him play in the sand box."

She giggled a little at the memory.

"The ducks weren't as reserved as these. They came out of the water and chased him all over the playground. He's been terrified of them ever since."

Sasuke looked at her oddly.

"Of ducks?"

She smiled largely in his direction.

"If you were only three years old and some giant bird came out of the water honking at you, I think you'd have been scared too."

He huffed and crossed his arms, clearly in denial. She didn't mind.

They sat in silence for several more minutes, she watched in mild curiosity as the fish jumped from the water to catch the bugs that swarmed along the surface. The fish were quite different then any she had ever seen before. They looked almost like koi, except with gold and black patterns with speckles of blue.

"My brother was a genius," he said suddenly. Kagome glanced at him, but did not interrupt. "He was a true prodigy."

She nodded, wondering where this was going.

"I always looked up to him, but one day he was gone. He slaughtered my entire clan, from those who couldn't even walk, to the babies that couldn't defend themselves…" She could hear the emotions he refused to let through choking his voice. "He killed them all, except me."

"You want to avenge them?" she asked quietly. He nodded, but with a small spark of confusion. He probably thought she would condemn him.

"I had a friend before I came here," she said softly in reply. "Her name was Sango, she was a hunter in a sense, and came from a long line of them… She had a little brother that she adored above all else."

The words burned in her throat but she pushed them down, crushing them in the pit of her stomach.

"One day, the family was called on a mission by a client. It was a trap, a terrible man named Naraku tricked her little brother into killing everyone and nearly killed her. He lied to her, making her think it was my friends and I that did it."

The boy looked at her expectantly, but when she made no move to continue, he scowled.

"Did she avenge them?"

She sighed and looked towards the night sky that was already setting in.

"In a way," she replied. "But somewhere along our journey, it stopped being about the what Naraku had taken, and more so about what she had to protect. She fell in love with a monk that Naraku had cursed with a black hole in his hand."

"That's not a curse," said the boy arrogantly. She smiled sadly at his innocence.

"He did not use it like one," she answered back. "But if we did not kill Naraku, eventually, it would swallow him and completely consume him."

She decided to leave out the fact that the black whole actually did consume the man. It had only been her wish that had saved them all. It had been because of her selfless wish that she had lost them all as well.

She stood before the boy could ask any more question, feeling the chill in the night breeze.

"You should rest," she said lightly. "Tomorrow begins the Chunnin Exams, and you will need plenty of rest to compete."

"Your not worried that Souta hasn't returned?" Sasuke asked honestly. She marveled that this was probably the longest conversation they had ever had.

"I'm terrified," she said without hesitation. "But I've already tried to leave, and I've begged the Hokage to let me go find him. He refuses to let me do either."

Sasuke scowled, clearly annoyed.

She understood the feeling all too well.

Zipping the light jacket up, she touched the jewel on her neck. Even in it's used state, it still managed to cause chaos wherever it went. Perhaps Miroku had been right in warning…

Waving a quick goodbye, she headed off towards Kakashi's apartment, knowing that he would come looking for her if she stayed out much later.


	33. II ix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"Kagome!"

She looked over from Kakashi's side to see the familiar pink-haired girl grinning nervously back at her. She smiled lightly, unable to prevent the spark of pride she felt at three children. Kakashi had explained the importance of this exam, if they passed, they moved up in rank.

"Are you ready?" she wondered aloud.

"Believe it!" shouted Naruto.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, but he looked just as offended by her question. She couldn't help but grin.

"Don't forget to work together," she said passionately, remembering her battles in the past. "What one can do decently alone, three can do better together. You guys defeated Zabuza, demon of the mist, remember that!"

Sakura still looked a little unsure.

"Yea, yea," agreed the older ninja with a lazy shrug. She felt her eye twitch as the man began to move casually towards the building they would begin in. She stayed back a little as the other two rushed ahead by his side. Men.

"Sakura," she said as she patted the girl's head. She looked up with wide eyes. "Have confidence, you've trained hard for this."

"I know," replied the pink-haired girl morosely. Kagome somehow doubted that from the way she was slumping at the entry. "But they're so much better at this then me. I always feel like I'm just watching their back as they get stronger!"

So that was the problem. Kagome felt like smacking Kakashi, he wasn't doing his job properly if she felt like this!

"It takes some people longer to get stronger then others," the priestess said with a sigh. Personal experience had taught her that, and no matter how stubborn you were, some things just took _time_… "It took me years to be able to even shoot straight, much less learn how to heal. You just have to be persistent."

Sakura nodded hesitantly, but she could see her doubt.

Sighing, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.

"The exam has three parts," she finally said. "When you finish this part I'll teach you something that will make you stronger took, okay?"

Now she did look excited.

"SAKURA!" shouted a voice far ahead, and both her and the pink haired girl looked up to see the boys standing impatiently on the steps of the large building. She pushed the girl with a smile.

"You can do it," she said with a smile. And deep in her heart, she believed it. "Good luck!"

Naruto waved excitedly at her as they walked away. She laughed as the arguments began up again. They really were too cute, they reminded her of InuYasha and Shippo early in their relationship.

"That was nice," said a lazy voice to her right. She looked over to see Kakashi slumping near one of the tall, prestigious columns. "What will you teach her?"

She smirked at his curiosity.

"That's between me and her," replied the priestess with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, but as my student, I need to know what you're filling her cute little head with!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and the ninja pulled himself away from the column. He sent her a sad look, but she didn't buy it for a moment. She had seen the way he doted on the other two, especially Sasuke, if he wasn't going to be fair; she wasn't going to be either.

"Mah," muttered the man dejectedly. "You're so mean…"

She laughed lightly at his dramatics.

"So what do we do next?" she asked even as another team walked inside, casting them a strange look.

"Well," he said thoughtfully, his fingers taping on his chin. "I'm going to watch with the other instructors. I don't think civilians are allowed, but you might be a special exception…"

She looked at him curiously, and then tried to imagine sitting in a room with a dozen more Kakashis, all of them watching on anxiously to see if their children passed the test. Too many anxious teachers in one room for her…

"Ah, not thanks!" she said rubbing her head awkwardly. "I'll go-"

She stopped as a familiar feeling pressed against her senses. Without a warning, she turned on her heel to look in the direction of the powerful energy. She found herself staring at a small red head with crazy black eyes, dark circles permanently etched around his eyes.

"Demon," she whispered even as he legs began to feel weak. She restrained her own aura as it threatened to break free and clash with the one before her. This was not the place to start a fight, especially not without her bow.

The boy walked by her without a word, though his two companions were looking at her strangely, almost in alarm.

"Who is that?" she tried to ignore the quiver in her voice. A demon, nearly full-blooded, by the strength of his energy, here! What was going on? She hadn't seen a single demon her entire time here, which was adding up quickly.

"That's the Kazekage's son," he replied seriously. She looked up to see his one eye narrowed carefully in the direction the boy had gone. "He is very dangerous, don't go near him."

She nodded, but couldn't help the worry twisting in her stomach.

"Naruto and the others aren't ready to fight someone like that," she said fervently. She looked at him, fear swelling inside. "You made it sound like it'd just be other gennin, like them!"

Kakashi laughed nervously, and she began to feel her temper rising.

"Well, mah, I didn't want you to worry too much! They are ninja, they will be fine, and look what you did for Sakura. You would have just scared her if you'd been worried-"

"I wouldn't have showed it!" she cried indignantly.

"Mmhhmmm," he muttered, and she knew he was ignoring her. If he pulled out that horrid book she was going to…

And there came the book.

"You pervert!" she shouted. She didn't bother to try to hit him, she always missed. "If I ever get my hands on that book-"

"You won't," he said darkly from behind the orange cover.

"You know what, I'm going home!"

She stomped off, missing the slight smirk on his face.


	34. II x

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome grinned cheekily at the group gathered in Kakashi's small kitchen.

"Hey, sensei, how come you never invited us over before?" asked Naruto loudly. She could see the older ninja slumped sadly on his favorite window perch, his face downcast.

"I didn't invite you," muttered the man with a pout. She couldn't help but giggle at his predicament; he was kind of cute when he pouted that way.

"So who wants cake?" she asked loudly. The blonde jumped up and down excitedly, reminding her so much of Shippo. How she missed her little fox.

She cut him a slice and handed it to him.

"Hah! I got one first, that means Kagome likes me more!"

She could literally hear Sasuke's teeth grinding together.

"Whatever idiot…"

He passed a piece to the darker boy and tried to hand one to Sakura. She shook her head regretfully, frowning a little. She raised a brow.

"What's wrong?" She looked curiously at the girl who mumbled something to low for her to hear. "I'm sorry Sakura, but Naruto broke my ears, you'll have to speak up."

"Hey!"

"She said she's on a diet," sneered Sasuke, and she knew exactly how he felt about it. Sakura blushed red and Kagome rolled her eyes—kids these days.

"Sakura, you don't need to be on a diet at your age, especially not with the amount of exercise you do. You'll make yourself sick!"

Naruto nodded fervently and Sasuke scowled. Kakashi continued to pout, ignoring them all.

"Besides, one piece of cake isn't going to hurt you. And I went to all that trouble to make it." She didn't bother pointing to the large pile of dishes behind her—mother would be proud. It had taken her the entire time of the exam to make something edible, but she had ended up using too much batter, so the cake had run over into the stove. She would be cleaning for days to get it all off.

She looked at the slice and then at the girl, a terrible plan coming to mind. Honestly, she had probably been spending too much time with Naruto.

"What if Kakashi eats some?" she asked Sakura, a wicked gleam in her eye. The pink haired girl blinked, confused. She noticed Kakashi straightening from his position on the window.

"B-But his mask!"

She looked curiously at the ninja. She had been wondering the same thing for a while now as well. It seemed he never took that thing off. She hoped he had more then one, because if not…

She decided not to finish that thought.

"So what do you say?" she asked. "You going to take one for the team?"

"What team?" he mumbled sulkily. "You've destroyed my cute little students…"

"Oh whatever," she rolled her eyes, picking up his slice. She handed it to him, and he took it gingerly, his fingers brushing against her own.

They all looked at him expectantly, waiting patiently for him to pull down his mask. He moved slowly, his fingers moving up to take hold of the rim, digging inside the cloth to pull it slightly back. She could see the beginning of the bottom of his nose when-

A loud crash sounded as the apartment door opened wide. Everyone turned, suddenly startled by the sound. A kid stood in the doorway, bright face and blushing.

"Oops, wrong room!"

Kagome turned back to Kakashi, only to find him smiling brightly, holding out an empty plate.

"That's not fair!" whined Naruto pitifully. Kagome found herself agreeing. "You have to eat another one, we didn't see!"

"Mah!" said Kakashi as he stood up and stretched out. "That wasn't in the rules!"

She felt her eye tick slightly. How annoying…

"Now, I think it's your turn Sakura."

Her annoyance disappeared in an instant as she saw the man walk over to the girl, placing a plate in front of her. And she laughed openly when the ninja stuck a piece on a fork and slid it into the child's mouth before she knew what was happening.

"See," said Kakashi ignoring the snickering from behind him and Sakura's untamed blush. She looked like a strawberry underneath that pink hair. "Food is good."

She found herself laughing some more.


	35. II xi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome stood in front of Sakura, her hands reshaping positions and folding hands. She shaped the girl under her hands, marveling at how quickly the girl picked up on the forms.

"You force your arm up," she demonstrated, her own arm sweeping through the air. She waited for Sakura to try.

"I'm tired…" muttered the girl, a thick sheen of sweat covering her face. They had been in the field for at least three hours, the sun burning down on their backs. She was lucky the weather was fair.

Kagome remembered Sango teaching it to her in the freezing rain, batting at misplaced elbows and stepping on toes that stepped even a hair out of line. It had been painful, and Kagome had dreaded the nights for a month with her sore muscles and bruised skin.

Now she thanked every god that the demon slayer had insisted.

"Be strong Sakura!" she barked harshly. She tried to ignore how the flinch cut into her heart. She really wasn't cut out for this. "You may not have the luxury of rest. Are you going to let your team-mates die because you couldn't hold out?"

She watched the girl wilt.

It stung her hand to pop her back into place, forcing the girl back into position.

"Don't loose your posture," she said after another long inspection. "In a fight you don't have time to think, you just do. You must train your body in good habits or else it will fail you."

She waited patiently and counted out ten more minutes in silence, watching the girl struggle. Just ten more minutes and this lesson would be over. Time seemed to drag forever and Kagome fought to keep her composure. She couldn't afford to be nice, not when the girl's life was on the line.

"Okay," she said finally, backing away with a kind smile. "That's all for today."

Sakura collapsed in the grass, and Kagome made no move to reprimand her. She would be itching by the end of the night, but she would allow her this small reprieve.

"That was terrifying, Ms. Kagome!" said the girl panting heavily in the grass.

Kagome sat beside her and sighed deeply, inwardly agreeing.

"Why do you know so much about fighting Ms. Kagome?" asked the girl after several minutes of silence. The priestess took a moment to think before responding.

"My friend taught me." Sakura looked like she wanted to know more, and Kagome felt the odd need to elaborate. "Her name was Sango, she was a very powerful warrior who had trained all of her life to be a demon exterminator."

"What's that?"

Kagome chuckled to herself, having already forgotten to whom she was talking to.

"Do you remember that well Souta and I jumped into?"

"Yea," said the child. "Naruto was going to jump in after you guys, but Sensei stopped him."

"Ah," Kagome let loose a full-blown grin. "That sounds just like him. But that well didn't always lead here, once it was a portal to the Feudal Era of Japan."

"Is Japan where you're from?"

"Yes. Souta and I are from the modern Era, much like this one, except the only ninja we have are those in books. Wars are much more dangerous, and our cities more numerous. Tokyo could encompass at least a hundred Konohas, with buildings so tall we call them sky scrappers."

Sakura looked unbelieving. She didn't blame the girl, sometimes it sounded like a fairytale to even her.

"Despite all of that, our time is a relatively peaceful one. However, when I was fifteen, a centipede demon came crawling out of the well, muttering about a jewel. I had no idea what it was talking about. It attacked me and somehow managed to pull me into the well."

"What happened next?"

She smiled at the anxious girl.

"Well, I accidentally blew some of its arms off. And then I ran screaming through the forest."

Sakura giggled and she made a face. A moment later she became serious, remembering the ending.

"I had to learn to defend myself. We battled demons at every turn, and I nearly died at least a dozen times trying to understand my powers. Sango taught me how to fight if I ever lost my bow. You'd be amazed how many times that happens…"

Like now, she wanted to say.

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome asked suddenly, looking at the girl's awed face. "Why do you want to be a ninja? It's not a pretty profession, and as smart as you are, you could do anything."

Sakura blushed brightly, but Kagome did not waver. She needed a reason to fight for.

"I'm fighting for me," she stumbled through. Kagome didn't need special ninja training to know it was a lie.

"That's not good enough," the priestess said darkly. "Why are you really fighting? Is it for Sasuke's attention?"

"No!"

She looked embarrassed.

"Then what makes you get up every time when it seems hopeless? What makes you strive to be better then before? When you can answer that, Sakura, you won't be left behind."

She rose suddenly from the ground and stuck out her hand. The child looked at it oddly before grasping it tightly. She pulled the pink-haired student to her feet and gave a grin.

"I believe in you."

And with that, Higurashi Kagome walked off.


	36. II xii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta glared angrily at Minako's sensei.

He had been in Konoha for a week and a half, locked away in some room with no light or windows. The crazy redhead had put him there after realizing he knew Kakashi. Apparently, they thought he was going to run off and tell Kakashi to kill them.

Personally, Souta thought Kakashi should be the least of their worries.

"When my sister finds out about this, she's going to beat your ass."

"Whatever sweets," said tomato with a half-shrug. He tossed him a sandwich and water bottle. It tasted sweet to his thirsty mouth. "Your sister doesn't even know you're here."

Souta glared, but didn't deny the truth. He hadn't told his family where he was going, and the ninja had snuck him through the gate in a burlap sack disguised under a genjutsu.

"Don't cry, babes," sneered the ninja. "I'll let you go as soon as we extract our revenge. By that time we'll be well out of way."

Souta laughed openly.

"Yea right! You couldn't touch Kakashi if you wanted to. He'd beat you so bad you'd crawl back in your mama's vagina!"

The ninja scowled, and Souta wondered for a moment if he had pushed him too far. Was he going to hit him? He wasn't sure what this ninja was capable. Noticing his wince, Minako's sensei made a strange face before turning in the doorway.

"Believe what you want, kid."

The door clicked shut and he was alone in the dark again. His hands tied in ropes to the reinforced hook on the wall. He had spent the first few days trying to pull the hook out, and after that he had moved to gnawing on the rope.

Tomato must have thought of both already, because the rope was hard a steel and the hook immoveable.

Souta listened intently for the sound of disappearing footsteps. Certain the ninja was gone he stood in his small cell, pouring chakra into his hands. He felt the familiar power seep into his fingers and twisted them the way Naruto had shown him.

_"Anyways! I'll teach you the real way to use chakra, believe it! What you gotta do is make this sign."_

His fingers crossed in front of him, he made certain to move his pinky properly.

_"Okay, now you say Bushin no Jutsu!"_

"Bushin no Jutsu!"

He fed the powers forcefully to his hands. They burned with warmth, but he held the sign, feeling a body form beside him. He looked over to see the image of himself staring back.

He stared at it critically. The image stared back blankly without blinking.

"Move your arm," he said softly. The image did nothing but looked back at him.

Frowning, Souta stared. After giving up on escaping, he had decided to practice what little he knew of the ninja arts. Unfortunately, the technique Naruto had shown him was incredibly tricky to understand. You had to put a very specific amount of chakra in or else the image would explode or it would form.

He had managed to learn that line fairly early, but he couldn't get the clone to move.

"Damn clone," he cursed as he took a sip from the water. "Naruto would teach me something useless."

He shrugged frowned and the clone stared blankly back. This was so stupid. Just like getting captured not even a day after going on an adventure to get stronger.

Not for the first time he cursed tomato and his stupid ideas.

Leaning back in the small room, he twisted his hands, ignoring the burn. The ropes were secure and chaffing, he would likely have cuts after this. But there was no way out of them, not unless he had a kunai or knife—both of which had been taken from him.

"We're going to get out of here," Souta told his clone honestly. The figure made no move to respond, or that it even heard.

A/N: It's my birthday! So as a gift to you all, I'm giving you this little piece, because many of you want to know where Souta disappeared to. Anyways, enjoy and review, please?


	37. II xiii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome looked terrified at the forest and then at Kakashi.

"Why are they in there again?" she asked as she heard the heart-wrenching scream. The ninja spared her an annoyed glance.

"They will become stronger," he said honestly as he slouched. "It will help them grow."

"If this is how ninja grow," she said with a growl, "I hope Souta never becomes one. This is inhumane. You throw children into a forest full of poisonous creatures and let them beat each other? That's not becoming strong, that's becoming barbaric."

"They are not children," the ninja said simply with a sharp glare. "They are considered adults, and it is there choice to participate."

"They're eleven!" she exclaimed.

"And they could kill you in at least twenty different ways."

"That doesn't make them adults," Kagome sneered. "That makes them psychopathic. You're seriously telling me that this doesn't bother you? Sending those kids that you've spent all that time protecting into a forest full of crazies?"

She barely noticed the slight stiffening of his shoulders.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

It was an innocent enough question, but she could feel the weight of a thousand unspoken thoughts weighing on it.

"No," she said finally. "But I don't like this."

"So I gathered," said the ninja dryly.

"Anko said that two people have already died. I don't understand the need for this unnecessary death. The kid was thirteen."

"The life of a ninja is dangerous," answered Kakashi. "If they cannot work together to defend themselves then I have failed them, and they do not deserve to be ninja."

Kagome stared openly at his callousness. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his gray, gravity defying hair.

"We cannot afford to baby them. They must learn to defend themselves against children of their own rank before they can learn to defeat those who are higher."

"You've had them for less then a year, you think they're ready for that?"

"No," replied the man, smiling brightly. "But I have faith in them. Naruto and Sasuke are above average fighters, and Sakura is smart enough to get them out of any other obstacle. They will pass this test, but I doubt they will move much further."

She nodded hesitantly.

"But if you know they won't make it, why put them in at all? Why not wait and let them compete next year?"

He grinned nervously at her.

"Well, Asuma and Kurenai's group were entering, and there was this bet, you see…"

She openly stared.

"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered, feeling a wave of anger rush through her body. "YOU PUT THEM OUT THERE FOR A BET!"

He waved his hands calmingly in front of him.

"Hey now, it's good for them! They need to grow-"

She ignored him and let her priestess energies flare to the surface, she could feel the pink energy licking dangerously against the air.

"Ah, Kagome… Kagome-"

"I'm going to throttle you!" she shouted swinging out a fist as she launched ahead at him. Instead of dodging, he blocked the punch, and she could feel small pieces of demonic energy within his aura sizzling at her touch.

She withdrew and kicked at his side, he pushed her away and she used the momentum to switch legs and kick at his face. He ducked down and she had to dodge his oncoming fist.

She almost fell over—he had never fought back.

Springing back, she crouched down before moving at him again. She punched at him quickly, and he blocked her hands with ease. She growled as he smiled disarmingly at her, before consolidating the energy into her fists.

Her next punch sent him twisting backwards, his gloves slightly burnt.

She was too angry to care.

"I can't believe you!" she shouted, coming at him again. He knocked her arms aside more carefully this time, not daring to touch her fists. She kicked at his knees and he jumped over her, pushing her down as he was at her back.

She struggled as he pulled her to him, an arm locking against her throat, almost choking her.

She bowed him in the side and he moved to block her. At his inattention, she bit down.

"Ahh!" he said, releasing her at once. "You're vicious."

She glared, heaving slightly at the exertion.

Then, in the blink of an eye he had her pushed against a tree, knocking the breath from her lungs. He grabbed her arms above her head with his right hand and used his left arm to choke her out.

And in a moment her anger was gone and replaced with a blackened emptiness.

Kakashi must have seen the change because he backed away immediately, and she fell to her knees without his support. On the ground, she felt something inside her crack, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

It didn't matter what she did, she would never be enough. She would never be able to defend her friends or even her little brother. She was the weak link, not even capable of protecting her little brother.

_"Do you know how to start a fire on a hill?"_

_"Well no…"_

_"Then it'll be down there."_

"Souta," she said miserably through the sobs. Kakashi looked at her with pity. She hated that look.

"We will find him," said Kakashi softly. She wanted to rage at him again, hit him in the face so he would understand that no, they wouldn't. Almost two weeks later, there was little chance that she would ever find him.

He pulled her upwards and held her steady, his eye steady with an honesty she had never seen.

"Kagome, we will find him."

"No you won't," she said, trying to ignore the hiccups.

"Yes, _we _will," he said with a growl. "The Hokage sent out a small search party almost four days ago, when we had no sign of him."

It took a moment for the information to really sink in.

"What! But-"

"The Hokage is a good man," said the ninja strictly. Kagome lowered her head a little in shame. "They will return soon with news."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she finally asked, feeling stupid for letting herself break down so.

"It's classified," he shrugged even as he moved away for her to stand. She wiped her eyes and sniffed slightly. He smiled suddenly, and she looked at him hesitantly. "I don't envy Souta when you find him, that hurt…"

She blinked and looked at him to see small burns in his clothes. Suddenly, she felt incredibly ashamed.

"I'm sorry!" she cried out. "If you want, I can heal those!"

He looked like he considered it for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Nah," he said with in that bored voice that made her smile. "I've got a meeting though, so I need to go."

She looked at him curiously.

"You're going to be on time?"

"Ah," he muttered, glancing at his watch. "It started an hour ago. So probably not."

She felt her eye twitch as he walked off. Why was he so weird?


	38. II xiv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked as she stared at the team's downcast faces. They were dirty, broken, and afraid, not the looks of someone who had just passed the second test.

"Sasuke-"

"Nothing," said the Uchiha angrily, refusing to meet her eyes.

"It's not nothing!" shouted Naruto. She frowned and closed her eyes, letting her powers spread in the air. She felt the unfamiliar energy instantly, and turned immediately to it, concentration.

Her eyes landed on Sasuke's neck, something evil was lying under his skin. It felt like a curse, like the one Tsubaki had used, except different.

She grabbed the boy immediately, her fingers tracing against the small bruise between his neck and shoulder.

She could literally feel the evil beneath his skin. The jewel around her neck echoed at the familiar taste, and she pulled away just as quickly, as though she'd been burned. This wasn't anything like the dark priestess, there was a soul in there…

"Who did this to you?" she said quietly, fury burning within.

The children looked confused.

"Orochimaru," said a voice from behind her. She looked to see the Hokage staring at them with a frown, a large man and some strange half-dressed woman standing nearby.

"Who is Orochimaru?" she growled with narrow eyes, even as she stepped in front of the children. She had a bad feeling about this.

"He's a missing nin," said the Hokage darkly. "One that will be dealt with swiftly. We need Sasuke to come with us."

She looked at the man's empty face and then the Hokage's small frown. When Sasuke went to move forward she stopped him with an arm.

"He's not going anywhere until you explain yourself."

"The Hokage doesn't have to explain anything to you, whore. Don't question him, you don't have a clue-"

"Anko," reprimanded the old man softly, but he did not deny her words.

"I don't care if you're the Grim Reaper," she sneered, not moving. "You're going to explain why this boy has a curse attached to his shoulder."

Whatever they had been expecting, it hadn't been that.

She heard the children gasp and the ninja in front of her shift slightly, defensively—even the old man looked disturbed.

They stood like that for several moments, her hands glowing with raw power and the three in front of her unmoving. Anko, however, threw the first shot, and she dodged just in time to have it slice her cheek. She heard Naruto swearing behind her, but ignored the boy in favor of the threats ahead.

"Enough," replied the Hokage, eyes narrowed. "You may join us, Kagome, however we need to seal the area off immediately."

She let the glow disappear from her fingers, but did not drop her wary stance. She put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, the one opposite of the bite, and walked forward with them.

She didn't glance back to give Naruto or Sakura a goodbye.

They walked in silence for several minutes through the streets of Konoha to the tall, familiar tower she had been several times. She didn't make a sound when they walked in an ordinary building next door.

"You don't have to do this," said an empty voice beside her. She broke her glare to look at the boy curiously.

"Of course I do," she replied softly, smiling reassuringly at his black eyes. "You're my friend Sasuke, I won't let anyone hurt you if I can protect you."

He seemed shocked, she wasn't quite sure why. Whatever that seal had done, it was emphasizing his negative emotions. She could feel the dark powers radiating from them even now, and she tried to reign in her own aura that warred back with it.

"I don't need your protection," he said sourly.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at the people in front of her. Anko was sending her dark, hungry glances. She reminded her of Kagura, the wind demon, and she glared back.

"Well you have it all the same. I won't forgive whoever did that to you."

"It's not so bad," the boy said softly. She pinched his shoulder, worry flaring instantly.

"You have no idea what that is," she reminded him. "That's a curse, Sasuke, and those are dangerous."

Whatever he was going to say was cut off when the people in front of them stopped near a dark room. They motioned for them to enter. It was small and bare with a table in the middle, shackles hanging off the side; she had a fairly good idea what this was used for.

"Thank you for coming," said the old man to Sasuke finally, his face looking weary. Kagome remained quiet, knowing that they would have brought the boy here regardless of what he had to say. The only reason they hadn't knocked them both out was because of Naruto. Kagome had gathered the old man had a soft spot for the boy.

"What do you want?" asked the Uchiha cautiously. The Hokage excused the older ninja from the room, they looked reluctant but left. She saw him turn to her, but she folded her arms, adopting one of InuYasha's stubborn glares.

He sighed, but made no move to persuade her.

"As Kagome has mentioned, your battle with Orochimaru in the forest was both unplanned and unfortunate. He has placed a curse seal on you that is incredibly dangerous, we will need to quarantine it for your safety and the village's."

"And how are you going to do that?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"Ah," interrupted a voice from the doorway. She looked up and felt herself sigh with relief. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the road of life…"

He smiled at her, and she let herself relax a little. She dropped her hand to her side.

"Ahem," muttered the Hokage, clearing his throat. She turned her attention back to him. "We will use a seal perfected by the Fourth Hokage to contain the energy. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse it."

Kagome frowned, shaking her head.

"That's not true," she said slowly, remembering the spider mark on Kohaku's back. Kikyo had joined their group late in her adventure, and they had spent several weeks attempting to destroy the curse. It was then she had honestly come to understand InuYasha's love for the woman, she really was inspiring. "If you completely destroy the one that made the mark, it will dissolve. Or you can purify it, but it takes a month to even set it up."

She blushed when she saw the entire room's attention on her.

"How do you know that?" inquired the old man slowly, his face a mask of shock.

"I've done it," she replied. She ignored Kakashi's rising brow.

"I see," said the Hokage. "We will speak later about this. Until then, however, I would like Kakashi to seal the energy."

She looked down at Sasuke to see him scowling.

"Is that okay with you?" she asked.

"Does it even matter?" he sneered.

"Of course," she replied immediately. "If you don't feel comfortable with this, I won't let them."

She heard the Hokage snort, but she ignored it. The boy blinked at her, surprised.

"But you said-"

"Sasuke, that curse is evil. Do you remember that day at the lake, when we were talking about the monk?"

_She fell in love with a monk that Naraku had cursed with a black hole in his hand."_

_"That's not a curse," said the boy arrogantly. She smiled sadly at his innocence._

_"He did not use it like one," she answered back. "But if we did not kill Naraku, eventually, it would swallow him and completely consume him."_

He nodded and smiled sadly.

"If we don't get rid of that curse, it could consume you as well."

"It's not a black hole though," he said petulantly. "I can control this! It'll make me stronger!"

"So you can avenge your clan?" she asked softly.

He nodded.

"You can't cheat when it comes to strength," said Kakashi suddenly, clearly disturbed by this discussion. "You have to work for it. Be patient and you'll have people to help you."

That was obviously not what the boy wanted to hear, and she watched as he neatly shut down, becoming the quiet boy again. She sighed as they took it as his assent. She found herself being led away, brown eyes locked onto his black ones.


	39. II xv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi sighed heavily as he opened the door to his apartment. He had restrained himself from going through the window while Kagome was here in an attempt to make her more comfortable. However, the long walk to his story had quickly transformed into a meditative practice.

Today had been spent considering the girl's actions.

He had watched from the tree line as she approached his team. ANBU had already informed him of the curse seal, and he wanted to see how it was affecting the boy. So imagine his surprise when this girl, who knew absolutely nothing about ninja, could detect a curse.

It was quite the predicament.

How could she know about the curse seal but not Orochimaru, the legendary Sannin? He always seemed to forget that she came from another dimension—it certainly explained her odd phrases.

He shut and locked the door behind him.

"What are you cooking?" he asked curiously, glancing at the large pot on the stove. She gave him a blank stare that frayed his nerves. Something was wrong.

"Soup."

"What's wrong-"

"Why does something have to be wrong?" she said sharply.

"Because you hate soup?" he said dryly.

"They didn't find Souta," she admitted, her shoulders falling. "I spoke to the Hokage. They followed his tracks three miles out where it looks like there was a fight."

He nodded, his mind whirling with possibilities.

"The prints are faded, but the tracks lead to one of Konoha's main trade routes. There's a possibility he's here, but no one at the gates has admitted to seeing him."

Well, that complicated things. He should have sent out his nin-dogs as soon as he learned the boy was missing. But there had been more pressing issues with the security of the village, the Kazekage's boy, and it was all just excuses…

"That, and I'm worried about Sasuke," she said after a few moments. He nodded in agreement. He had been worried about the boy as well, especially with his dark past.

"The curse has been sealed," Kakashi told her calmly. She nodded. "Where have you seen that curse from?"

"It wasn't that specific curse," the girl said softly, her eyes glazing with memories. "I once fought against a demon named Naraku. He was a human that had sold his soul to demons. He used a seal, almost exactly like that, to control his puppets."

Kakashi nodded, that sounded very similar to the seal.

"Sango's little brother had a curse like that on his back, it was shaped like a spider. In order to save him, we had purified the mark and then purge it from his entire body. It took a month of preparations and several hours for the ritual to work."

"I see," he said softly.

She looked at him with those large brown eyes, and he didn't try to comfort her this time. He couldn't make himself lie, to tell her it would be okay, because it wouldn't.

"Who is Orochimaru?" she asked softly.

"He was a great ninja that studied beneath the Hokage. He is considered a Sannin, because his is made of three of the most powerful ninja that this village ever produced. He went crazy though, and started experimenting on people. He is incredibly dangerous."

The girl nodded, looking pale.

"He sounds too much like Naraku for my comfort. I'll feel better when I know Sasuke's completely safe from him."

Kakashi agreed completely.


	40. II xvi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"It was awesome!" Naruto said excitedly, pumping his fists in the air. "Ino chopped off her hair, and then Sakura came in WAM! Foot straight to the face!"

The pink-haired girl blushed brightly, a small smile lighting her face. Kagome was proud of the fact that she only glanced once in Sasuke's direction.

"I did what you said," she mumbled beneath Naruto's exclamations.

"I'm proud of you." Kagome passed the girl a plate of noodles and grinned. "I heard you did well too, Sasuke."

The boy shrugged lightly. Kagome gazed nervously at the boy; he had been acting differently ever since that Orochimaru had placed a cursed seal on him. She was becoming increasingly worried at his behavior.

"Ah, that was good Kagome!" said Kakashi from his window perch, an empty plate in hand. She had given up on trying to see his face. "Is that a recipe from your home?"

She nodded.

"It's called Spaghetti, it's traditionally a Western dish, but my mother likes to cook new foods."

"It's not fair!" cried Naruto suddenly as he pointed at Kakashi. "Why do you get Kagome to cook for you every day? I bet you don't even appreciate her! I want Kagome to cook for me!"

Kagome blushed slightly at the praise, before placing a finger thoughtfully to her lips.

"You're right," said the priestess slowly. "I've been meaning to stop by your houses. Especially you Naruto, I bet your parents have find you a handful!"

The boy's bright smile waned against his face, and she frowned at Sakura's sad look. Had she said something wrong?

"Naruto doesn't have parents," Sakura whispered into the awkward silence.

"Oh no!" she said suddenly, her eyes widening. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think-"

"Meh!" he muttered absently, rubbing his head. "It was a long time ago. I don't even remember them. Besides, I have a huge apartment all to myself. One day I'm going to paint it bright orange, but that-"

"Wait," she interrupted. "What do you mean all to yourself? You can't live alone-"

"Well, yeah…"

She frowned deeply. What was wrong with this backwards city? How could an eleven year old know how to live alone? And from the sound of it, he'd been that way for a while.

Well, it certainly explained the Ramen.

She turned to Sasuke suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

"Do you live alone as well?"

The boy huffed and folded his arms. She glared and let a small amount of her priestess energy nip at his arms. He jumped slightly, but answered all the same.

"Yes, I live in the Uchiha compound."

Her mouth dropped open.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She was surprised the boy didn't have deeper mental issues. He was living in the same enclosure that he had seen his family die in? "What kind of moronic numb-skull came up with that idea!"

She glared over at Kakashi who put his hands up, trying to placate her.

"We didn't have room after the Kyuubi attack in the orphanages," he replied nervously. "We lost a lot of civilians and ninja in the attack."

"Kyuubi?" she said curiously, distracted. "That sounds like a candy."

Naruto laughed and Sakura smacked him harshly.

"That's not funny, the Kyuubi was the nine-tailed fox demon that attacked Konoha eleven years ago. It destroyed almost a half of the city before the Fourth Hokage managed to destroy it."

Kagome frowned.

"What did it want?" she asked. She heard Naruto choke on a string of noodles in his mouth. Sakura was only too happy to pound his back until he could breathe. Personally, Kagome could see the girl as an excellent nurse.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi inquired curiously.

"Demons don't normally go around attacking villages unless they're upset or something is controlling them. Especially not foxes, they like to pull pranks, but destroying cities isn't something I'd put on the top of their lists."

Now Naruto was really looking at her like she was crazy.

"You sure do know a lot about demons," said Sakura, who had adopted a similar expression.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm a priestess, that's part of my job."

"So your pink chakra…" muttered the older ninja thoughtfully.

"I don't have chakra," she said honestly. "Your chakra is made up of demonic energy, and mine is the complete opposite."

"It's… demonic?" asked Sasuke suddenly, his eyes taking a curious glint.

She nodded.

"I would say you've got a demon ancestor somewhere in your heritage, though it's got to be at least five or so generations back, because you're definitely human. But I can feel it in your aura."

"What about me?" asked Naruto suddenly. She looked at him oddly.

"I feel it in all ninja," she said simply. "I imagine that's the reason you can take a hit normal human's can't."

Kakashi was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Kagome ignored his curious stare.

"But yeah!" she said, trying to remember their earlier conversation. "What was I saying?"

"You were grouching at-"

She laughed when Kakashi's hand was suddenly covering Naruto's mouth. The boy struggled with futility under the masked man's gloves. However, when one of Naruto's legs kicked out at Sakura, she joined the fray. Sasuke glared at their obnoxious behavior.

She giggled softly, feeling at home.


	41. II xvii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked curiously at the white haired man messing with the fences.

He was tall and broad-shouldered. When he turned, she noticed the Leaf headband at once, ninja.

"Ah? Oh my, and who are you, beautiful?"

He took her hands and she giggled softly at his cheesy lines. He was like an older, bigger version of Miroku…

"I'm-"

"Kagome!"

She looked behind her to see Naruto rushing at her. She pulled away from the ninja and caught the boy in her arms, hugging him tightly. He, like Shippo, never seemed to get tired of her hugs.

"Hey!" shouted the boy as he pulled himself out of her embrace to stand defensively in front of her. "You're that pervert from earlier! You better not mess with Kagome, or else Kakashi-sensei will beat your ass!"

She blinked oddly at the boy even as the older man sputtered loudly. Where had that come from?

"Look now kid, you can't go around calling people-"

"You were peeping on the bath house again, weren't you?" said the boy with a fox-like face.

Kagome laughed and shook her head, pulling Naruto into her embrace.

"And you are?"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh boy…"

"Why, I am the great toad sage! One of the original Sannin…"

"Sannin!" she said abruptly, interrupting his little dance and speech. He looked a mixture of annoyance and pleased.

"We'll, yes-"

"Mah! Kagome, not that-"

"Why you-"

"Eh, hey!"

"Oi, Kagome!"

"Get behind me Naruto!"

Somewhere in the scuffle of confusion, she found herself tripping over Naruto's legs, and grabbing the sage's white hair as fell. Unprepared, he tumbled down with her, his face falling immediately in between her breasts.

Lying on the ground, she felt her face redden instantly.

She let out an angry scream.

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

Naruto winced and the old man slowly lifted his head with a thin line of blood coming from his nose.

"PERVERT!" she shouted, slapping him as hard as she could.

Naruto shook his head slowly from the side.

"Stupid Ero-Sennin," muttered the boy. The white haired man glared.

"I told you, I'm the legendary Jiraiya, not that awful name!"

Kagome disagreed and glared.

"Whatever Ero-sennin! You shouldn't mess with Kakashi-sensei's girl!"

She blushed furiously and knew any glare she had was useless.

"Naruto! I am not his girl-"

"Yeah huh!" said the boy decidedly. "You live with him, you're always around him, and you look sad when he's gone!"

"Moron," said the pervert, smacking the boy.

"Hey! What was that for!"

"You don't tell women that!"

"Oh?" Kagome asked darkly. "And you would know this…"

"Why, I'm the author of the famous Icha Icha series!"

Kagome and Naruto both crossed their arms and scowls.

"You're the author of that awful book," muttered Kagome.

"You should be ashamed," said the boy in agreement.

"Oi! Now that's no way to treat me!"

"Hmph," said Naruto. "Come on Kagome, you said you'd fix my stomach."

She nodded but immediately saw the man's comedic face turn serious. He looked suddenly concerned.

"Your stomach!" said the man darkly, eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong with the seal?"

She suddenly glared.

"Did you put one on him too?"

"Too?"

"Mah, Kagome, I already told you, he's not that Sannin!"

"That… Wait, what other- Is Tsunade here?" asked the man suddenly.

"No," Kagome hissed. "Orochimaru."

She watched as the man's face twisted into something similar to guilt.

"What has he done this time?" asked the sage, a sad tinge to his voice.

"Oh, you mean besides cursing Sasuke?" growled Naruto. She elbowed him sharply, that was supposed to be a secret.

"The Uchiha?" She supposed they didn't need to answer, their faces told enough.

"I see, now what's wrong with your seal? I checked it several times after the fourth used it, it should be infallible!"

"Wait, you know about-"

"What! I thought he just put it-"

Jiraiya looked annoyed.

"Do you have to speak at the same time?" he rolled his eyes and pulled Naruto to him. The boy struggled a little and Kagome let her energy bubble near the surface, just in case this man tried anything.

"KYA!" he shouted, his hands shoving at the boy's stomach.

Kagome felt her hands light with energy and moved forward immediately swiping at where the sage had been only moments before.

"Oi, put those away!" said Jiraiya dryly. "He's fine…"

She looked at the ground to see Naruto lying on his back, heaving deeply with his stomach exposed. And where there used to be pale skin, she found herself staring at startling orange designs covering his naval.

"My God!" she said immediately, gasping. "What did you do to him!"

The sage's eye twitched slightly and Naruto groaned.

"I told you, I was checking the seal."

"Why the hell is that thing on his stomach?" she said instead, eyes narrowing dangerously. The pervert looked confused.

"Wh-What! But you said you knew-"

"Orochimaru did THIS?" she asked angrily, her heel grinding into the floor.

"No, well some of it, he's messed up the patterns, which is interrupting the chakra flow. No, the Fourth Hokage did this."

She looked at him blankly. Surely he was kidding? Did all of the residents here have seals tattooed on their children? What the hell was wrong with this city?

"You didn't know, did you?" asked the pervert quietly.

She shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. What had they done to Naruto?

She felt a nasty thought wash over her. Were they going to do this to Souta too?

The man nodded slowly, frowning. He traced the designs on the blonde's stomach before pressing his hands into flesh again, glowing softly. She watched in concern as the boy's stomach began to emit a nasty amount of demonic energy.

"Naruto," she whispered softly. "That energy…"

She moved towards the sage who was concentrating heavily on the seal. She knelt by them both, looking at the blonde whose blue eyes were screwed up in pain.

"What is this?"

"That's an S-Class secret," said the sage softly.

"This is about that demon, isn't it?" she asked, her hand a few inches above the seal and Jiraiya's hand. She purified the energy that whispered out. "The fox they told me about."

Jiraiya glance at her curiously before he released a small pulse of energy. She watched as the symbols glowed brightly and rearranged themselves in a perfect circle around the spiral.

Naruto made a sound like a sigh and she watched him relax.

She pulled him into her lap and pushed back his bangs. She looked at the small whiskers on his face, the tiny creases in the corner of his eyes, and the slight frown on his face.

_"I bet they're heading to Wave Country like us!" shouted the blonde, grinning like a loon. She could have kissed the boy, but politely refrained._

_"Heh," she muttered, rubbing her arm as she smiled, "you two, huh?"_

No wonder he reminded her so much of Shippo. His Cheshire grin, his affinity for pranks, and his deep-found passion for those he loved.

She pulled him to her tighter, watching those clear blue eyes open wide. Despite the color difference, she could still see her little fox demon staring back.

_"Oh yeah!" shouted Naruto, who pumped his fist in the air. "You should have seen the way she used her bow to block Haku's ice. It was crazy, she was just like schwaaa!"_

"Kagome?" asked the boy, blinking. "What's wrong? Man, my head hurts! What the hell did you do Ero-sennin?"

"Don't be crude," Kagome she whispered, pulling the boy into a tight hug. A small, irrational part of her felt the fear that he was going to disappear out of her arms.

"Heh, kid, you should be more careful next time. The great Jiraiya might not be there to save your useless ass."

She blinked as the boy jumped up, his fists squeezed tight.

"Whatever, if it…"

She blocked out their conversation and watched as the image of InuYasha overshadowed the man, and Shippo the child. She smiled slowly at their backs.


	42. II xviii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome stood in the empty apartment, staring out the window into the storming night. The older ninja had left with Sasuke for special training against Gaara, and would not be back for another week. It had been invigorating the first week, but now…

It felt… wrong.

She missed Kakashi. She frowned and clenched her fists.

This wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to care about these people. They weren't supposed to matter. She was supposed to come, collect her brother, and get out—simple and clean, perfectly effective.

This wasn't her place; it wasn't even her dimension. She knew from experience that anything that happened on this side of the well was doomed to failure. Hadn't she learned that lesson with the Shikon?

No good ever came from that damned well.

She clutched the jewel at her neck, feeling it warm at her touch.

_"NARAKU!" she shouted, her hands twisting around her single shard of the shikon desperately. "I won't let you do this!"_

_"I don't think you'll have a choice," said the demon with an evil smirk._

_She tried to extend her powers, but the demonic presence around her battled it back, back into her core._

A flash of lightening lit the room, enunciating the shadows of her face. The thunder roared and seared through her body. It was in a storm like this that they had faced Naraku in that last battle.

_"NARAKU!" she shouted, her hands twisting around her single shard of the shikon desperately. "I won't let you do this!"_

Kagome sighed and let go.

_"Kagome," cried the little fox demon, holding tightly to her skirt. She tried to grab him, hold him to her, but she was slipping away with every second. Her translucent hands moved through him without touching._

Even through her memories, she couldn't get rid of that odd ache in her chest.

She missed Kakashi…

This would not end well.


	43. II xix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

She smiled at the pink-haired girl beside her, excitement and worry rushing through her body.

"This should be a good one," said a woman near her. She looked up to see a dark-haired brunette smiling lightly at her.

"It would be better if Kakashi would get here," she muttered annoyed. She understood his tendency to be late, but this was really pushing it. He wouldn't even get to see Naruto's fight!

"He'll make it," said Sakura, her voice a little unsure though.

The teams around them sighed heavily. Kagome figured most of them had to deal with his constant tardiness.

"My eternal rival is surely too cool and hip to miss his own student's battle!" shouted a man dressed completely green. She twitched a little at his creepy stance. "For that boy surely glows with an eternal youth!"

Kagome nodded politely, and nudged Sakura to do the same. The girl was looking like she would rather be sick.

"The matches are about to begin!" said a voice from the floor. She looked down to see Naruto and a dark-haired boy standing in the arena. The blonde was looking up at them with a wide smile.

She grinned back, a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

Even if Kakashi was going to be late, she was just going to have to cheer for the boy twice as hard.

"Naruto Uzumaki versus Neji Hyuuga!"

The referee jumped backwards.

"Begin!"

She blinked, as the two figures became blurs. She watched the orange and gray-brown colors bounced back and forth. They were talking, but she couldn't hear anything over the roar of the crowd.

"GO NARUTO!" she shouted, leaning against the rail that separated her from the arena. She could feel the group behind her staring, but she ignored it. "YOU CAN DO IT!"

"YEAH!" she heard beside her.

Looking down, Kagome found herself looking at a grinning Sakura.

She smiled proudly and turned back to the fight.

"GO NARUTO! BEAT THAT HYUUGA!"

"How troublesome…"


	44. II xx

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"You're late," Kagome said with a huff, crossing her arms. "You should have been here hours ago. You're lucky they didn't disqualify you!"

"Mah!" said the ninja with a smile. "It took a while for him to get it…"

She scowled.

"That doesn't excuse you for missing Naruto's match."

He looked a little guilty, and she turned away towards Sasuke and the redhead she had seen earlier. Sakura looked terrified, and she could understand why. The sheer amount of energy she could feel from the boy was grating against her nerves. His energy was erratic and bloodthirsty. It was reminded her of the shikon-crazed demons she had met in the past.

"Uchiha Sasuke versus Gaara of the Sand!"

"Begin!"

Her priestess energies jumped to the surface as she watched a tower of sand attack the boy. She crushed the powers back into her core with Iron-like resolve.

"Kagome?" asked the ninja beside her carefully. She shook her head and gritted her teeth. Her powers hadn't always been this out of control; it wasn't until Kikyo broke her own seal that they had nearly over-flowed. "Do you need to…"

"I'm fine," she said after a moment, a small bead of sweat dripping down her face. "I'm not missing his match, I won't be you."

At least he had enough wit to look ashamed.

"GO SASUKE!" shouted the girl at her side. Kagome stepped towards the rail and joined in the cheering. "YOU CAN DO IT!"

The boy threw them an annoyed glare before returning to the fight.

She heard Kakashi chuckle behind her.

The crowd's noise dragged her attention back to the fight and she stared in curiosity as the redhead encircled himself in sand. She watched with trepidation as Sasuke jumped and narrowly avoided the sand spikes.

He moved away, breathing heavy, and Kagome felt her heart clench.

"He's going to use it now," said Kakashi thoughtfully. She didn't ask as the boy ran away from Gaara and up the sidewall of the stadium. He looked like a speck of black from her position, and she wondered what he had in mind.

After a moment, the boy began to sparkle.

"What is that?" she asked, knowing her sight wasn't nearly as clear as the ninjas around her.

"Sensei!" cried Sakura suddenly. "Isn't that your…"

"Kakashi!" chided a voice nearby; she looked to see the green figure adopting a strict face. "That's not hip or cool at all!"

She blinked furiously through the wind that was already picking up. She inhaled deeply, realizing that the boy wasn't sparkling at all—he had lightening in his hand!

Sasuke ran down the arena, rushing head own at the sand dome. That looked like such an InuYasha move that she gripped the railing desperately.

"Oh no," she said miserably, terrified.

The boy pushed the lightening into the sand before jumping away. She watched with wide eyes as the dome cracked and fell apart beneath him, leaving the sand boy clutching his chest.

He looked furious.

BOOM!

She startled and looked up to see the Hokage's box billowing smoke.

Suddenly, she was feeling sleepy…

She swayed on her feet and thought she heard a scream. It must have been the night wind, after all, it was getting very dark…

"KAGOME!"

A mixed match pair of eyes stared back at her. And with a jolt, she felt the world swim back into color.

"Ms. Kagome!"

She shook the lethargic fuzz from her mind and looked up to find herself in Kakashi's arms—a single red eye swirling dangerously at her.

"What-"

"We're under attack," said the ninja quickly even as he let her go. Was it just her, or did he look reluctant? It must have been the daze, she finally concluded when he glided to his feet.

She blinked, trying to reorient herself when she heard the sharp pang of steel.

"KAKASHI!"

Chaos whirled around her. Kakashi was leaping over the seats, fending off the attacks of a tall redhead with a long braid. She pulled herself up and was pushed back by the woman she had met earlier with the dark brown hair.

"Get back," the woman cried even as she made a flurry of hand signals she didn't recognize. At least three of the Sound ninja appeared before them, Sakura pulled her back and out of the line of sight. "We're under attack!"

That seemed obvious, Kagome thought as she finally managed to clear her thoughts and take stock of the scene.

The stadium seemed to be under some kind of spell. She looked down to see the Sand trio rushing out of a hole even as giant snakes began to appear, trampling the village. The Hokage's box was still smoking and she could hear the sound of random ninja battling.

"We need to take out those snakes before they destroy the village," Kagome said immediately. A tall brunette with a cigarette in his mouth appeared beside her, nodding.

"You kids need to stop that sand trio. I'll handle the snakes."

She pushed the hair from her eyes and turned to the man with a scowl.

"Give me a bow and I'll finish them myself," she said darkly. The man looked thoughtful.

"We don't have time for this!" hissed the female ninja. "Just give the girl a bow, Kakashi trusts her."

The man nodded and pulled out a small scroll. He bit his thumb and spread a drop of blood on open paper. Making a sign, she watched in amazement as a bow with at least thirty arrows appeared in his hands.

"How did you-"

"Don't disappoint us," interrupted the man, his eyes sharp. She scowled and snatched the weapons from his hand.

"I don't," she said angrily. She looked at Sakura who seemed reluctant to leave her. "Go Sakura, and be careful. You take care of Naruto and Sasuke!"

The girl nodded, a look of determination filling her face. She marveled for a moment at how well she had grown. She strapped the quiver to her back and gripped the bow tightly, she wouldn't fail them!

Rushing off in the direction of the giant snakes, she didn't bother to look backwards.

She vaulted over a rail and hit the ground running.

Kagome turned a corner, skidding slightly on the rubble, but kept her balance as she made her way to a nearby wall. She sped up at the sight of the ledge, feeling her legs protest angrily. Then, without warning, she jumped.

The world swam by her, and she could feel the wind rushing through her hair, biting at her face.

She hit the roof hard and rolled.

"Oohh," she said softly, struggling to breathe. After a moment, she pulled herself, finding little more then cuts and what would probably be bruises in the morning. She grinned and looked back at the wall.

"Quite the jump there," said a voice to her right. She looked over to see Jiraiya grabbing her elbow. "You should hide."

"Hell no!" she replied, pulling away. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body. "I'm taking out those snakes!"

"Oh?" he asked even as he followed her. "And how will you do that?"

"I'm going to purify them!" she said simply, grinning nastily. She hadn't felt this alive for a while. The sage nodded and stopped her, bending slightly on his knees.

"Hop on, by the time you get there, the village will be gone!"

She scowled but climbed on his back regardless, smacking him slightly when his hands began to wander up her thighs.

"You're a priestess?" he asked as he hopped quickly from building to building. It wasn't the same kind of jumping that InuYasha did, it was more refined and smooth. It literally reminded her of a frog.

"Yeah," she said. "Don't drop me, okay?"

He stuttered as she let go of his shoulders, drawing an arrow and notching it to her bow.

"Hey! Oi! What the hell are you-"

She pumped her energies into it and let the arrow fly. One of the three snakes screamed as it scattered instantly into dust. Just as she had thought, they were demons!

The other Snake turned to her angrily, red eyes slit.

"YOU!"

She felt Jiraiya's arms tighten around her and they dodged in midair as the creature spat snake venom at them.

"You know them?" he asked curiously.

"No," she replied, stringing another arrow. "We've never met…"

"Shikon Priestessssss," hissed the creature as it raced at them. It dodged her arrow, and she strung another one. "You hasss returned!"

She swallowed the lump in her throat, pouring more of her energy into an arrow, this time it collided squarely with it's jaw, dissolving it into dust. There was no time to celebrate, however, when a sudden shadow fell on them. Kagome looked up just in time to see a snake falling from the sky.

"SHIT!" cried Jiraiya, and she completely agreed. There wasn't enough time to get an arrow.

She held tightly to the man's shoulders and closed her eyes, preparing to be squished.

Instead, she felt a tug at her naval and the nauseous swirl of colors.

"Ugh!" she cried, falling off the man and onto her knees. The sage gave her a wide grin.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said scratching his head. "Nice shot though! But I'll take it from here, Shikon Priestess."

She scowled and he gave her a cheeky grin.

The grin faded when she saw a giant raccoon appearing in the direction the children had gone. A moment later she saw a giant orange toad.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Kagome shouted, eye twitching. "Where are all of these demons coming from?"

The sage laughed.

"Those are summons," he said. "Naruto must be fighting Gaara."


	45. II xxi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi dodged the attack fluidly, throwing three stars in midair.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan," said the man with a wicked smile. "I'm here to defeat you!"

"Ah," he said in a bored tone. "And you are?"

The man seemed to falter in midair, and Kakashi took the chance to twist his fingers through a set of seals.

"Water Bullet Release!"

He sucked in a breath and spat three, large bullet-shaped water balls.

He dodged the first and second, but the third hit him straight on. Kakashi's clone flickered behind him, a chidori in hand. He thrust it through the man's stomach, only to have the man dissolve in a rain of water, electrocuting Kakashi's clone as well.

"A clone," he said softly, eyes widening imperceptibly.

"I am Raiken from the Land of Rivers," said the man from above. He moved, twisting his position to block the sword coming towards him. "I am here to avenge my comrade, Shiori the White."

He twisted and jumped, instantly remembering the name.

He had been assigned to assassinate a member of the River's council. The woman had fought him to the death to save him. In the end, he had defeated her and completed the mission. She had been formidable and worthy of her name.

"Ah," he said softly. "She fought and died well."

The man cursed, his face screwing into an ugly image.

"You have no right to even speak of her!" shouted the redhead, jumping at him again. The sword sliced through the air and Kakashi dodged. Left, right, left, and then kick. He worked on instinct alone.

BOOM!

His attention diverted to a collapsing building and he noticed at once, one of Orochimaru's summons dissolving into dust. What had done that? Surely not Kagome?

"Pay attention!" said the man angrily. He didn't dodge in time, and the knife cut a small line against his face.

He barred his teeth and glared, fingers moving through another set of seals.

"Or you'll die and what will that girl think then?"

His hands slipped, just as he was about to do the final seal. He ducked and rolled, sweeping out at the man's legs. He dodged easily, throwing his knife into the ground and making a seal.

"Wind, Supreme Gusts!"

Suddenly a great gust of wind pressed against him, knocking him off his feet and into a tree. He scowled and turned, just in time to avoid three kunai that would have embedded themselves in the tree.

"So it's true," said the man darkly. "I hadn't believed the boy when he said it, but you've gotten soft in your age."

Kakashi didn't bother to ask what the lunatic was blabbering about. He needed to finish this fight swiftly and move on. There were more pressing concerns then this deluded fool's grudge.

"You talk entirely too much," Kakashi's clone said as it appeared from the ground, punching the man's jaw right before a sword cut through it's middle, dissolving it into electricity. He grinned as the man let out a scream, the energy tearing into his flesh.

The man slumped over on the ground and Kakashi approached hesitantly, cautious.

"Fool," said the man dangerously.

He looked like a cornered animal. Kakashi felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't do that again."

He raised a brow curiously, but adopted a defensive stance when Raiken reached into his inner pocket. He nearly dropped his kunai at the familiar bag he pulled out.

"Souta…" he whispered softly, deadly. "What have you done with him?"

"I was going to let him go, until he mentioned you." Said the ninja with a nasty smile. Kakashi cut the distance between them in a second, pulling him up and slamming him against a tree.

"I slit his throat. He drowned in his own blood!"

Kakashi nearly let out a howl. He thrust his hands into the man's stomach, electricity coating his fingers.

"GAH!" screamed the man in agony before he disappeared. Kakashi turned at once, a sword sliding into the space his chest had been only moments before. He brought his arm down swiftly, feeling the arm bones break.

This was the real one, he knew instantly.

"AGH!" yelled the man, even as he kicked up. Kakashi swatted the leg away and punched the jaw.

"_Where is he_?" he hissed dangerously, pulling the man to his body, a kunai against his throat.

"I ripped out his intestines," said the ninja through gritted teeth. "I made him eat his own rotting flesh-"

He pushed Raiken away and punched him again, this time in the chest, and felt the bones cave beneath the pressure.

"Lie again and I'll tear out your throat," Kakashi said, canines barred.

The man gasped for air and grinned through the pain.

"You took my love from me," he choked out, brown eyes narrowed. "And now, you can learn to suffer."

Kakashi frowned deeply, mind wheeling as he tried to understand.

"You still don't get it?" laughed the ninja mirthlessly. He looked deranged, coughing up blood from what was probably a punctured lung. "And they called you a genius!"

The Copy-cat ninja flipped a kunai in his hands, prepared to end this thing's life as it appeared it had no more useful information.

"The boy told me all about you," said the redhead, wheezing. "Imagine my surprise when I learned you were in _love_. Nonsense, eh?"

Kakashi paused, something ticking nervously in the back of his head. What was he not getting?

"And then," spat the man, taking desperate gulps of air. Why was he listening to this? He should just kill the ninja and put it out of its misery. "I saw her. A civilian of all people. Ah, how the mighty have fallen!"

And then it clicked.

"Kagome," he whispered, a chill washing down his back.

The battered ninja looked back and grinned. It looked maniacal, cross-eyed and bleeding.

"You're too late," said the man laughing. Kakashi ignored him and stood stiffly, eyes turning towards Konoha where he could see only one snake left. Raiken would be dead in an hour tops. He would let the man drown in his own blood. "She'll be dead before you even see her!"

Kakashi set off at a full-blow sprint.

"Not if I can help it…"


	46. Part III: Becoming Higurashi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta dragged himself from the rubble, pushing a heavy piece of rock off his head. The world around him looked strange, and he heard a shout of alarm. A hand grabbed his elbow, pulling him upwards, steadying his feet.

He flinched from the contact after having spent so many days in the dark confines of that room.

"We have another one!" shouted a voice. He looked up to see a grim man smiling reassuringly at him.

"Are you hurt?"

Souta shook his head, holding his wrists gingerly.

"If you're capable, we need help with the recovery efforts."

He nodded, not sure what to say. The man seemed to understand, or maybe he just didn't care enough, as he pushed him away towards another group of people. A tall woman glanced at him curiously, but didn't ask.

"The name's Sarai," she told him bleakly. "You need some water?"

He nodded, taking the small bottle from her. It tasted bitter despite his thirst, he looked at her oddly, but she just smiled.

"It'll work for now," she said. "You and I can look over there. Be careful, if one of those ninja appear, just scream."

He nodded again.

They moved towards a large tower of rocks.

It was slow, grueling work. For every rock they removed, three more would take its place. He was almost buried several times. Much of the rubble was nearly twice his size, and he wondered in amazement how anyone could survive that?

The only reason he was still alive was because he had been on the ceiling when the building broke, snapping his chains.

He pushed another rock aside when he saw what looked like a hand poking out of some rubble almost three feet up.

Pushing chakra through the soles of his feet, he walked up the rubble, slipping slightly on the loose rocks. He heard Sarai say something below him, but he couldn't hear much over the roar of echoing battles. In the distance he could see a giant fox and Raccoon battling.

Pushing away the rocks, he almost wished he didn't.

Wedged between the rubble, he found what was left of the arm and crushed flesh. It looked childlike and small.

"Oh…" he said, slipping off the rocks as he lost control. He was cold suddenly, and the world was starting to spin.

"Hey!" shouted a voice. Warm arms encircled him and pulled him away, but the scene refused to leave his mind. He couldn't think. "Kid, I need you to snap out of it!"

There was another person there now, saying something, but he couldn't think, couldn't breathe…

That was an arm…

Someone's arm…

He broke free of the grip and emptied the contents of his stomach on the floor.

"I think he's in shock!" shouted a feminine voice. Warm hands were covering him, holding him. He shied away from the touch, but it held him tighter. He was feeling claustrophobic, his stomach rippling beneath him.

And then something pinched his neck, knocking him out.


	47. III i

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome made her way cautiously towards the forest.

Ninja clashed at every side, and she could see the casualties littered on the ground. Burning flesh, smoking buildings, and fresh screams of agony. The familiar images burned against her soul.

_"MIROKU!" screamed the desperate demon slayer. "NO!"_

"Naraku…" she whispered, tightening her hold on the bow. No, not Naraku—he was gone, she had made certain of that.

_"I wish…" she said softly, eyes tearful. "I wish…"_

She began to run, tears filling her eyes. She blamed it on the acrid smoke. She needed to be strong; there were too many people to protect.

The jewel at her neck hummed darkly at her throat, echoing with memories—reminders of her failures.

Crossing what was left of the stadium, she sidestepped a head that rolled innocently by, mouth open in one final scream

_"NARAKU!" she shouted, her hands twisting around her single shard of the Shikon desperately. "I won't let you do this!"_

_"I don't think you'll have a choice," said the demon with an evil smirk._

_She tried to extend her powers, but the demonic presence around her battled it back, back into her core._

The woods met her with a coolness that shielded her from the heat of burning buildings. She didn't turn back, not wanting to see the bloody battlefield. She had another goal; she had a group of children to protect!

The trees moved silently past her, muffling the scuffles at her back.

The terrain felt comfortable and familiar. She raced over the ground with the fleetness of a deer, no longer running, but gliding over the landscape.

Her movements were stopped mid-air when a sudden pain erupted from her shoulder. She stumbled forward, hands moving to grab her wet shoulder. She felt something hard poking out, and ignoring all of her medical training, pulled it roughly out.

She glared into the forest, dropping the bloody kunai to the floor.

"Come out now!" she said, grabbing at an arrow. Several projectiles swam through her vision and she ducked one, only to be cut by the other, a small laceration on her arm.

She grabbed it tightly, accidentally dropping her bow in the process.

A small figure appeared from the tree line—a little girl with muddy brown hair and sharp black eyes. She looked barely older then Souta. The child moved forward, and with a stomp, cracked her bow in half.

She stared, fear welling within her.

Why did that child look so familiar?

"Do you know me?" asked the child softly. She shook her head, stumbling backwards, disoriented and in disbelief.

Her bow… it was gone!

"I guess I look different now," said the child coldly. The girl flickered for a moment and suddenly a girl completely covered in white appeared in her place, hollow black eyes.

Demon…

_"I wish…" she said softly, eyes tearful. "I wish…"_

"Kanna," she said breathlessly. "You can't… you died! I saw it!"

The brunette glared.

"I did," she said with no little hatred. "I was at peace beneath the midnight moon."

"I don't understand!" Kagome said, terror rushing through her. This wasn't supposed to happen! This couldn't be true!

"Your wish," replied the girl. "You broke our world with your wish."

"What!"

"You fool!" shouted the girl finally, anger burning within her eyes. "You destroyed our future with that horrid wish!"

_"I wish…" she said softly, eyes tearful. "I wish…"_

_"I wish Naraku had never existed…"_

_The blackness disappeared, and Kagome looked out to see her friends surrounding her, the God Tree at their back. Shippo ran forward instantly, eyes full of tears._

_"Kagome," cried the little fox demon, holding tightly to her skirt. She tried to grab him, hold him to her, but she was slipping away with every second. Her translucent hands moved through him without touching._

"But I-"

"Did you think of us?" asked the girl nastily. "You destroyed our existence, we were wandering souls reliving our lives without bodies. You didn't end the jewel, you reset it!"

She gasped, truly understanding the girl's words for the first time.

"And then that damn InuYasha," the girl sneered. "He wished away his blood, and all of the other demons. Those summons you fought are what remains of the great race!"

Kagome openly sobbed.

"No! I didn't know!"

The girl glared, a sword appearing in her hand.

"I have lived a thousand years of penance for your wish," said the girl softly. "And now, I will truly have my revenge."

Kagome stared in utter shock, unable to think or even move as the girl began to move towards her in slow, measured steps.

"You destroyed the path of history," the child said, raising the sword above her head. "You broke our world, you split the dimension in half."

The sword fell in a graceful arc, and Kagome just barely rolled out of the way and into the dirt. She clutched her arm desperately, a steady stain building on the white sleeve.

"This war is on your head," said the girl angrily, swiping at her again. The sword cut through the front of her shirt and left a thin line in her stomach.

Kagome screamed and a foot came forward, kicking her back.

"No one will find you," said the girl nastily. "Raiken is taking care of that ninja, Kakashi, even now. The fool was so easy to manipulate."

"You…" Kagome said softly. "You monster!"

The child sneered.

"What would you know about monsters?" said the child with distaste. "You believe yourself so pure, untouchable. You are the true monster here, not I! That war, that battlefield is your fault!"

Kagome shook her head and pulled herself to her feet, overcoming the fear that held her back.

"I didn't want that!" she shouted, gripping a tree for support. "I didn't mean to hurt you Kanna!"

The girl glared.

"You're a few centuries late for that," she hissed and rushed forward. Kagome didn't move, there was no point. She could barely stand and there was nowhere to go. The blade arched in the sky, reflecting the blood-red sky.

"DIE!"

She closed her eyes and waited for incoming death.


	48. III ii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

When no blow came, Kagome opened her eyes to see a pair of dark pants standing in front of her. Looking up, she traced the baggy black slacks, the awful green vest, and the familiar gray hair.

"Kakashi…" she whispered softly.

He didn't turn around.

"You're hurt," he said lowly, she could hear the growl in his voice.

"That was fast," said Kanna dryly. "I imagined Raiken would give you more trouble then that. I suppose I overestimated him."

"And you are?"

"An old friend," said the girl with a crystal like smile.

The girl jumped back, but Kakashi did not move forward to meet her. Kagome looked over to see a small dog nudging her legs carefully.

"Pakkun," the ninja said softly.

"Can you walk?" asked the creature in a surprising deep voice.

"I'm not sure," she said slowly, looking down at her untouched legs. Her shirt, which had been ripped earlier by Kanna's sword, was now soaked with blood that was dripping onto her legs.

She felt nauseous just looking at it.

The dog let out a worried bark and began to sniff.

"There's no poison," said the creature. Its eyes glanced curiously at her neck, widening at the jewel. "You're the-"

"You won't defeat me," said the child in a crazed fury. Kakashi jumped forward to meet her, kunai and sword clashing with a deadly accuracy. "You damned dogs!"

Kagome attempted to stand, holding the tree on one side and her stomach in the other. It hurt to move, to breathe, to think clearly... The world was beginning to develop odd hues that made her fall on the ground.

The dog whined pitifully.

"Priestess, you have to leave."

She stared at him oddly, lightheaded.

Kakashi and Kanna moved through the woods faster then her tired eyes could track. They jumped between trees and disappeared even as they met.

"Priestess!" barked the dog, catching her attention again. "You need to leave!"

"I can't," she muttered finally. "I can't stand, too much blood."

The dog growled at her and her hazy mind remembered the sound.

"Then heal yourself!"

She blinked. How had she forgotten that?

Reaching within, she pulled the energy to the surface, it poured through her body and she could feel the blood coagulate. The dog gave a grateful bark and she let the energy recede. She was left feeling incredibly heavy—tired.

"We need to get you away from her," said the dog desperately. "That's Kanna the White."

"No," she replied softly. "She's Kanna of the Mirrors."

She saw the child the child falter and Kakashi pressed on that weakness noisily.

"Maybe once," said Pakkun darkly. "She's a spirit that traverses the realms without constraint. She possesses children until they hit adolescence, and then she disposes of them."

"This isn't right," said the priestess bleary-eyed. "She was always emotionless."

The dog grabbed her shirt and pulled her roughly. She let out a small, painful shout, when three ninja stars embedded where she had been only a moment before.

"I was nothing once!" shouted the child. "I was a puppet, and I gave up those shackles, I helped you!"

Kagome stared as the muddy brown hair faded to white.

"I was free!" screamed the little girl, hollow black eyes filled with so much pain. Kagome wondered how she didn't see it before. "You stole my midnight skies! You stole my future!"

Kagome struggled to her feet, ignoring the pain as the wound on her stomach reopened.

"Kanna," she said softly, stumbling forward towards the battle. She ignored Pakkun and Kakashi as they tried to stop her. "I wanted everyone to be happy."

"Well you failed!" shouted the child angrily.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, taking another shaky step forward. The child was quivering with pent up rage, and she offered her sincerest smile. "I hadn't meant for you to suffer."

"How dare you!"

She blinked and Kanna was in front of her. Then there was a swift pain, unbearable and harsh as the beautiful blade slid into her gut. Kagome leaned on it, accepting its penance for all of her wrongs. She carried forward and pulled the girl to her, blood seeping from her lips.

"Be free," she whispered, letting her priestess powers caress them both. The mirror child let out an ear-shattering scream and her eyes rolled back into her head. The sword sparkled and disappeared in a burst of light.

She coughed weakly and collapsed.

Warm arms caught her before she hit the ground.

"Kagome!"

She looked up into the mismatched eyes, smiling slightly despite the terrified expression.

"K-k-kakaaaa..." she could feel her lips quavering as his hands began to glow. Something wet splattered against her cheek, but she couldn't think clear enough to understand it. "Your really pretty…"

He made a noise that sounded something darker then a laugh.

He was saying something, it seemed urgent, but she couldn't find the energy to stay awake. Her eyes closed and she stumbled into the darkness.


	49. III iii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"You're back," said a voice, it sounded familiar. "I wasn't expecting you so soon."

Kagome turned around, curious.

"Kikyo?" she said softly, staring at a dark haired priestess garb with red hakamas and the familiar white haori. "What are you doing here?"

The woman laughed honestly, a mirth about her she hadn't seen before.

"You are a harbinger of trouble," replied the woman jokingly. "Can you truly not live a lifetime without disturbing the worlds?"

"Worlds?" she asked softly.

"There was only one, once," answered the woman patting the grassy spot beside her. Kagome looked around and found the darkness had receded, leaving them in a familiar clearing, the God-Tree standing tall behind them.

Kagome took the spot without hesitation.

"When you made a wish, you broke the flow of time. Where one set of us had lived, another set was made to relive differently."

"That's what Kanna said!"

"Yes," replied the woman with a sad smile. "She could not adjust. She went from nothingness to something in a moment. With nothing to hold onto, her anger transformed her, destroyed her."

"I purified her," Kagome said sadly, hurt. "I didn't know what else to do."

"You freed her," Kikyo said with a shrug. "She's been angry for over a thousand years, waiting for you to return. She tricked the child's uncle into finding and destroying you."

"How did she even know I was here?"

"Her mirror."

Kagome frowned and remembered the sword and it's beautiful reflection.

She looked around their clearing, sitting in silence for a moment.

"Is it true?" she asked suddenly. "Did InuYasha really wish away all of the demons?"

The young woman laughed outright at her fearful face.

"Yes," she said with a grin. "He was so nervous that his tongue slipped. He was very upset afterwards, especially when he realized there would be no more good fights."

"Then how does Naruto have one in him?" she asked confused. "And the other boy, he has one sealed as well."

"Ah, Kagome," said the woman with a motherly stare. "You and I should know better than anyone that nothing is forever."

"How are you here?" Kagome asked suddenly, her mind swinging from topic to topic. "Am I dead?"

"Not quite," replied Kikyo slowly as she stood, her fingers pressing against the mark she had pinned InuYasha too. "I am here because I am a part of you. When I died, my soul contained the Shikon Jewel. Whereas it should have reincarnated, it travelled through the well, merging with your own."

"So I'm not your reincarnation?"

"Does it matter?" asked the woman, curious.

"No, not really…"

Kagome looked to the sky, her face warming in the sunshine. A pair of white clouds floated by, it felt nice here, and she wouldn't mind staying. No worries, no responsibilities.

"Will you forsake them?" wondered Kikyo aloud; she had climbed onto one of the tree's lower branches.

"Who?"

There was no answer. Kagome looked up again to see her gone.

She furrowed her brows. What had she been doing? What was she waiting for?

"KAGOME!"

She looked over to see Sango and Miroku waving at her excitedly in the distance. Kikyo was walking calmly towards them, a peaceful smile on her face. She grinned and took a few steps towards them. It was like walking through a swamp, and the ground seemed to literally pull her away.

She scowled.

Why couldn't she see her friends? Hadn't she spent enough time away from them?

She trudged several more steps, and the effort was becoming easier. They only seemed about a kilometer away.

They waved at her excitedly. Kikyo, however, turned back, an angry look on her previously kind face.

"What are you doing!"

She stopped, blinking at the fury in her voice.

She tried to reply, but found her voice oddly lacking.

"You fool!" said the woman, and Kagome was reminded of the old Kikyo, with eyes like sharp embers. "Go home!"

It felt like a slap.

"GO HOME!"

She remembered:

_"Jeez, what do you want to do, just sit around in this musty old hut for eternity? You said it yourself, it's over, move on!"_

_"Excuse me," she growled, squeezing her fist. "You're the one that went head first into the well. You're lucky I'm here to save you-"_

_"Or you'll what?" asked the man tauntingly? She glared defiantly adopting her best version of the defensive stance Sango had once tried to teach her. "You stupid bitch, you think you can fight me? You got lucky that last time!"_

_"Heh," she muttered, rubbing her arm as she smiled, "you two, huh?"_

_"Tazuna says they're going to rebuild that bridge, but with all the accidents and problems, I'm not sure how." Kagome worked quietly as he spoke, threading the needle and pushing it through the skin, pulling the two pieces together. "I hope he can do it though. We've been starving for what seems like ages."_

_"What are you?" asked the masked man sharply, clearly disturbed._

_"Are you coming with us?" he suddenly asked, and Kagome looked at him oddly. That seemed a little out of character. He seemed to think so too, because he huffed and crossed his arms, looking away darkly. "Not that it matters!"_

_"Ugh!" sneered the boy as he stuck out his tongue. "You live in that!"_

_"I'm looking for Kakashi," Kagome said blankly, suddenly remembering she had not gotten a last name. "He's about this high, and he's got three little kids with him, a blonde, a brunette, and the pink one."_

_"Mah, Kagome, if you wanted in my room, you had only to ask. I would never treat a woman so-"_

_"He killed them all, except me."_

_"You pervert!" she shouted. She didn't bother to try to hit him, she always missed. "If I ever get my hands on that book-"_

_"You won't," he said darkly from behind the orange cover._

Her eyes flooded with tears and she grabbed her head. What was going on?

Suddenly, Kikyo was standing before her, her face angrier then she'd ever seen it.

"Go home Kagome!" she shouted.

The world spun in front of her, colors meshing together.

"GO HOME!"

And she fell back, again, into the darkness.


	50. III iv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Sakura sniffled softly.

"Mah, Sakura," said her sensei softly. "Don't cry."

She sniffed hopefully trying incredibly hard not to. Naruto sniffled next to her, complaining of the allergies.

Kakashi looked like he was contemplating throwing them both out.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Souta from a nearby hospital cot with eyes darker then she remembered—haunted. Kakashi-sensei had found the boy using his dog summons the day before, unconscious in one of the medical tents. Nobody had dared ask what he was doing there.

"I don't know," replied the gray haired man solemnly. Sakura found the sniffles a little harder control.

It wasn't fair. Sasuke was being a jerk, stuck in his bed after being knocked out by Gaara. And Kagome, the only person she knew who could really understand, was comatose.

She felt like screaming, like punching the wall, like sobbing till the world changed back right.

"Sakura," reprimanded their sensei. She looked down ashamed. She knew she wasn't the only one who was upset; Naruto wasn't nearly as loud and annoying either. He seemed deflated, like a kicked puppy.

"Ahem!"

She looked up to see a harassed nurse giving them pitying looks.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but visiting hours are over…"

Sakura stood slowly as their sensei nodded, grabbing Souta by the shoulder, and leading them from the room. She glanced back to see Kagome sleeping peacefully, at least fifteen wires trailing from the bed. She looked younger, somehow, and vulnerable.

The sight made her uncomfortable.

There were certain things she came to expect as a ninja.

One, that Kakashi-sensei would always be late, no matter what.

Two, that life as a ninja was dangerous.

And three, that Kagome was the most powerful woman she had ever met.

The door closed, blocking off her view, and Sakura found her world breaking into little pieces.

"Sakura," said a voice. She looked over to see Souta staring back at her. "Kagome's going to be okay."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do," he said sadly. "This happened the last time-"

"That's enough," said their sensei sharply. She looked at him in confusion, noting that he looked incredibly alert. But why?

"Ah, but Kakashi, let him continue…" said a gruff voice ahead in the hospital hallway. She looked up to see a dark-skinned man with bandages covering his face, a cross-shaped scar on his chin. Danzo, her mind immediately supplied—one of the council members.

No one made any move to reply.

"Well boy!" said the man finally, his one eye narrowing in disdain. "What happened last time?"

She felt a shiver of fear rippling down her spine. Something wasn't right, why was he here? Shouldn't he be busy doing council things?

"Ahh…"

Souta squirmed nervously ahead, clearly uncomfortable. Sakura felt a defensiveness rise in her and noticed Naruto twitching nervously as well. Something was wrong here.

"Are you intentionally keeping information from the council boy?" asked the man dangerously. Sakura moved forward, grabbing the hem of Kakashi's vest, silently pleading with her teacher to do something. Anything!

The old man reached to grab Souta by the front of his shirt, but Kakashi finally intervened. He gripped the man by the wrist; she could literally feel his resolve.

"Do not touch the boy."

The man outright glared and snatched away the arm.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Kakashi."

Her sensei didn't respond.

"Very well," replied Danzo, sweeping away imaginary dust, his face straightening into an empty façade. "We will discuss this later."

Her sensei nodded slightly, and she wanted to bury her face in his chest.

"Let's go," Kakashi finally said, his voice dropping into a bored tone. She hoped things would return to normal soon.


	51. III v

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi walked through the rain, his face down cast as he stared at the memorial stone. Inky black, it reflected his face and he found himself tracing the familiar name.

Uchiha Obito.

He sighed, knelling despite the swelling clouds above him. The drenching water covered him, seeping through his clothes.

"Obito…" he whispered as in a prayer. "I could really use you right now."

"Sensei's son, Naruto, is getting so big. You'd be amazed how tall a kid can grow in a month; personally I think its Kagome's cooking. She doesn't appreciate him eating Ramen, she's always complaining about its nutrition."

A wind whispered through his hair, a ghosting laugh.

"Sasuke's doing better as well. He's still sulking about his fight though; he's certainly inherited your clan's ability to brood. Kagome's the only one who's really been able to get through when he's like this. She has that sort of way with people. You would like her."

He bowed his head, a tight, familiar feeling in his throat.

"I'm sorry it's been so long, my friend. The village is incredibly short-handed right now. The invasion has killed so many, including the Hokage, and left hundreds wounded. I left Sakura, the one like Rin, to tend to the hospitals. That girl will make a good healer one day, she's certainly got the attitude."

A clap of thunder sounded in the distance but he ignored it, letting the water drench him. A small part of him wondered if the water could wash away the numerous, cruel sins burned into his soul.

"Obito, I know it's been a while, but I came to ask you something."

Kakashi closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"They say Kagome may not make it. The wound in her stomach isn't responding to chakra treatment, and they can't seem to stop the blood flow."

His fist tightened, his emotions swimming out of control.

"She shouldn't be important to me," he whispered as the rain drowned his words. "She wasn't supposed to be. I don't care. I can't!"

A heavy thunder rumbled through his soul and he could taste the lie.

"Everyone I've ever been close to is dead," Kakashi whispered, opening his eyes to stare at the stone. "You, Sensei, Rin, and even my dad. I suppose it's the Hatake curse. But I don't want to lose her too."

He let his head lean heavily against the black stone.

One of Obito's eyes stared back in the reflection, reminding him that the boy was still with him. It was in instances like this he could truly pretend his friend was right there.

"Please, Obito, if you see her, send her back."

The rain that poured from the sky seemed to quiet, the lightening paused, and the thunder went mute. The edges of his vision crept away and he found himself focusing on that single, red eye. Obito. His world stood in an eerie silence as he awaited a reply.

Silent as the grave.


	52. III vi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta woke up screaming.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but somewhere between scrambling in the cold, wet sheets and the door slamming open, he found himself on the floor, tears pouring from his eyes as he struggled with an imaginary opponent.

He looked up, wild-eyed, to see a concerned Kakashi in the doorway.

"Hush," said the man softly, kneeling next to him. He stilled instantly, flinching away from the touch.

The ninja ignored the action and pulled him from the sheet's firm grip with a practiced ease. Souta found himself instead wrapped around Kakashi, a month and a half of resentment, loneliness, and anger swelling to the surface.

"It's going to be okay."

But it wouldn't! His sister was comatose, his friends didn't recognize him, and he missed his mother more then he ever imagined. He missed his grandfather's crazy stories, his mother's Saturday cake, and even that fat cat who liked to sneak in his bed at odd times in the morning.

"No it's not," he sobbed pitifully, burying his face in the rough black sweater. He found Kakashi surprisingly warm. "I heard the nurse… She said there wasn't much chance-"

The man caressed his hair soothingly, as his words broke into sobs. It was the same manner Kagome would do when they were younger. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Souta," said the man softly, pulling him away to stare down seriously. "You need to be strong."

How could he do that when this was all his fault? He was the reason she had come back. It was his stupid idea to be stronger that had set this all in motion. The ninja must have read his mind, however, because he held him a little more urgently.

"When she wakes, are you going to tell her all you could do was cry?"

He felt shame burn in his heart, flushing his face red.

"I don't know what to do," sniffled the boy softly, staring down at the red circles against his wrists.

"When I was younger, my sensei told me the best way to build strength was to build friends."

Souta looked at him in confusion.

"You had a sensei?"

Kakashi laughed outright, letting go and leaning back against the doorframe. In that instant, he looked so cool and collected that Souta suddenly reconsidered his favorite hero.

InuYasha had been neat with his huge sword and dog-ears, but Kakashi was different. Whereas InuYasha had been unrefined, Kakashi was polished and perfected. He had the same silver hair cropped short, gravity-defying. He respected his sister, and never, ever talked down.

He was kind and friendly, lazy and slightly perverted, but unwaveringly loyal.

"Of course, brat," the ninja said softly. "Mine was Minato Namikaze, though everyone called him the 'Yellow Flash'."

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"He created a seal that allowed him to flash from point to point as fast as light. All you could see was his blonde hair."

"That sounds really cool," Souta said, feeling more like himself then he had in a long time.

"It could be," replied the ninja with a nod. "It used to annoy me though. It felt stifling. He would appear as soon as things got tough, bailing us out. I certainly wish he was here now, he always seemed to have an answer for everything."

"What happened to him?" asked Souta curiously.

"He died a long time ago," said the man sadly.

Souta lowered his eyes, and stared at the watch. 3:00 a.m. glared back at him in bright red numbers and he blinked tiredly, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.

"Well, come on," said Kakashi who was already pulling himself onto his feet. Souta stared in confusion but got up as well. "You can show me what you've learned."

Souta gave a weak smile and followed behind, grateful.


	53. III vii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta stood before the man silently and without fear.

"Higurashi Souta," said a member of the council, a woman with an old, wrinkled face. Souta imagined she might have been beautiful once, from the way she carried herself. "Is this your correct name?"

"Yes," he replied softly, emotionless. It had been one of the skills that Minako's sensei had taught him in the endless silences.

"Why are you here in Konoha?"

"My sister and I are from Wave Country. We met Kakashi and his team when they escorted the bridge builder."

"We have no record of you in his report," said the man at the front, his face covered in bandages. He looked as Souta remembered him, foreboding and militaristic. "We also have no record of you entering the city, and yet, you were found in the rubble of our lower-income apartments."

Souta nodded, having expected this question.

"I was kidnapped by Raiken of River Country on my way to Sand Country."

"And why would he want you?" inquired the woman again, adopting an unbelieving façade. Kakashi had warned him that they might try something like this. The older ninja had drilled him several sleepless mornings on how to answer questions diplomatically.

He found he honestly enjoyed the man's quiet company.

"I was overly excited at meeting another ninja. I mentioned Kakashi, and Raiken took offense. Apparently he was the lover of Shiori the White."

He watched the people whisper excitedly, and smiled minutely.

"Continue," said an older man, glasses slipping dangerously off his nose.

"They cuffed me and brought me to Konoha. They used a genjutsu to disguise me as potatoes and slipped me in somewhere around noon."

That was when the guard changed and it would be easier to move. He didn't bother saying it though, that would be too much information. He knew they already understood that.

"And what have you done in that time?"

Souta swallowed, beginning to feel nervousness creep into his stomach.

"Nothing," he replied softly, rubbing his wrists. "They left me cuffed in a room and delivered me brunch and dinner. I lived in that room for the last month and a half."

"What did you do about the bathroom?" asked Danzo curiously.

"They left me a bowl," he scowled. The man smiled darkly and Souta let the anger drop away into the silence, returning to an empty façade.

"They would have had to empty the bowl, you had an avenue for escape."

"I am not a trained ninja," Souta said calmly. At one point, he might have rolled his eyes, but now he looked forward without hesitation.

"That is not what our records say," denied the woman, her eyes narrowed.

He said nothing and waited.

There was a stand off for several minutes, each waiting for the other to break. He had come to understand the silence, the emptiness… It was the loud, noises of battle that bothered him. The unfamiliar touch that made him draw back in fear.

"We have reports of you climbing up walls with chakra. We also have reports of your sister destroying a snake summon with a single arrow."

He frowned.

He struggled with the anger warring against the tranquility.

They had no right to even speak her name.

"She is a trained priestess," he said finally, hesitantly. "As her brother, I am often asked to run errands for her medicines. I have picked it up over time."

"I was unaware Wave Country had a priestess."

He smiled with a feral grin. Kakashi had warned him against using it—it made him look slightly maniacal. That was fine though, they needed to understand this was not a subject to be broached.

"No, you wouldn't be. Not with Gato in charge."

Danzo smiled and nodded. Well played.

"Unfortunately, we have evidence to disagree."

He looked up, shocked. Unprepared.

A masked ninja moved forward, a small wrapper in hand. He looked at curiously, confused. It was the small energy bar he had eaten his first day away.

"This is yours?"

He nodded slowly.

The ninja turned the wrapper in his hands, revealing the packaging information.

"So where is Tokyo, Japan?"

He closed his mouth and shook his head mutely. When words fail you, he had learned, it was best to stay silent.

"No answer?" asked Danzo with a false remorse. "This looks like code."

He did not waver. He would be strong and unrelenting. He would face his enemy with pride, just as Kagome would. He couldn't afford to be weak for her now.

_"When she wakes, are you going to tell her all you could do was cry?"_

"Will you not defend yourself?"

Souta jutted out his chin, quietly rebellious.

"Very well," said the man as he stood. "I think the Council is in agreement that you are hiding information. You are hereby to be placed under house arrest. You will not be allowed to leave without the council's consent."

Souta nodded slowly, having already been warned of this outcome.

He bowed slightly to show his disrespect for their decision and turned his back to them, instead looking to the masked ninja that had appeared at his side. The person took hold of his shoulder, and he tried not to flinch.

Right before they disappeared, he gave the council a withering glare.

_"When she wakes, are you going to tell her all you could do was cry?"_

This would not be the end.

That was a promise.


	54. III viii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta furrowed deeply into the couch cushions, a large stack of books at his side. Kakashi had left them on his way to say goodbye to Naruto. The blonde would be leaving at dark to find the new Hokage. He had stopped by earlier, but left just as quickly.

It was glaringly awkward.

He sighed, twisting beneath the warm confines of the blanket. It wasn't that the boy didn't care, but he wasn't the same. The blonde bothered him in ways he hadn't before.

He was loud and bright and too spontaneous.

"I'm going crazy," Souta whispered softly to himself. He had picked up the habit early on to ease away the nothingness.

Finally comfortable, he pulled out one of the smaller tomes from the large pile of books stacked impeccably on the coffee table—another habit he couldn't seen to understand. He needed space. He _needed_ emptiness.

He had spent the first twenty-four hours of his imprisonment in Kakashi's apartment cleaning. It had started with the dishes, as something to do, but had carried over to the bathroom and floors. The ninja had later returned to find him scrubbing the floor tiles with a toothbrush.

So he got him books.

"The History of Konoha and the Land of Fire," Souta read as he flipped the pages. The book detailed the history of the founding Uchiha and Senju clan. It spoke extensively about the Senju's ability to control demons, and the scattering of the creatures. The fight between the leaders, and the roles of the Hokage.

He lost track of time as he read, digestion and integrating the information. A small piece of paper at his side to jot down notes.

Sakura had suggested, after seeing his mountain of literature, that he make notes about everything he read. She then proceeded to bring her large binder of notes from the last three years of academy class. The information was divided by topic and year with interesting doodles of Sasuke and hearts in the corner.

It also had a small section in the back from independent studying.

She had blushed brightly when Naruto stared.

_"Well, we can't all be idiots!"_

_"Sakura," said the Sensei slowly, "These theories are incredibly complex and abstract. You understand these?"_

_She nodded, almost ashamed._

_"I'm not from a ninja family," she explained. "Everyone else came with their Clan's secret techniques."_

A click broke his concentration. He looked to the door expectantly, listening carefully to the perfect _tat-tat-jingle_. He wasn't sure if he meant to do it, but the grey-haired Sensei always made the same sound when he entered.

"You're up?" asked the ninja in slight surprise.

Souta nodded glumly.

How could someone sleep if they did nothing but read all day?

"Kakashi-sensei," he said softly, watching the man wearily place some change in a pot on the kitchen counter. "What's a delegate?"

"A representative of the group," responded the man lazily. He turned to regard him with a single black eye.

"And an Incumbent?"

"Person currently in charge. Politics again?"

"Yeah," he said softly, shifting beneath the blanket "Is Naruto gone?"

"Yeah," replied the man.

Souta sat in silence for several more minutes, relishing in the quiet companionship. The older man had tried to leave him a dog summon, but the creature had grated on his nerves. Always whining and twitching at the wrong moment—he had ended up locking himself in his room to stop the distractions.

"Kagome is still asleep," said Kakashi blandly, but Souta caught the sadness in his face. She was probably taking her sweet time with things, like usual. She liked to do things her own way, and make people wait.

She had once made InuYasha wait three extra days because she wanted to do some extra credit project.

Needless to say, Kakashi was much more patient then the enraged dog demon.

"Nothing new?"

"No," replied the older man softly.

Souta nodded and sunk further into the cushions, finished with the discussion. Kakashi, however, had other plans.

"How are you?" asked the man.

Souta blinked up in confusion.

"Well," he replied shrugging.

"Oh? I noticed you haven't been sleeping much. Are you still having nightmares?"

Yes.

"No," he said with his best smile. "I'm just not tired."

Kakashi nodded reluctantly.

"You're still flinching. You know we won't harm you."

He did, but that didn't seem to matter to his body. He didn't want the touch or the worrisome frowns. He didn't need them, he wasn't broken, he was just different. Like Kagome had been when she first returned.

He remembered it clearly, her cautious eyes and too bright smiles.

This was normal, and he was fine.

"I'm okay," he replied, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Why was he pushing this issue?

Kakashi looked like he wanted to continue. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to swallow it with a bitter strain.

"Good night."

Without further talk, the ninja nodded and walked away, into his room.

Souta wished it would be.


	55. III ix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Sakura knocked furiously on her sensei's door.

The sound echoed hollow in the silence.

After a moment, she heard the soft patter of footsteps. A lock clicked open and she looked into curiously blank brown eyes.

"Sakura?"

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself attached to the boy, sobbing uncontrollably. He stiffened noticeably and she clutched him tighter, terrified that he would disappear too.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked through a mouthful of pink hair. "What happened?"

"It's Kaka-Sensei!" she said desperately through the tears. She felt the boy begin to quake beneath him, and she dropped to her knees. He came with her, kneeling in the doorway. "He's in the hospital."

The boy said nothing, but she could feel his anger as his fingers pressed into her unprotected arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sasuke's brother, Itachi, was looking for Naruto in town," she sobbed. "Sensei found them and was fighting. They aren't sure what's wrong with him, but he's in a coma."

She buried her head in his lap, not knowing what else to do.

"I didn't know what else to do. Naruto's gone, Kagome and Kaka-sensei are both in a coma, Sasuke won't talk to me, and you can't even leave. I'm so scared! I don't know what to do, because none of this was supposed to happen!"

She had tried to talk to her parents, but they didn't understand.

They didn't understand her. She was the freak of the family who wanted to be a ninja—a murderer. They couldn't understand why she wanted to be a mercenary. Anytime she tried to talk, they'd just blame themselves.

_"Where did we go wrong?"_

That phrase burned more then any other.

"Souta," she cried, holding onto the quiet boy as her heart broke in her chest. "Please, don't leave me."

He frowned and held her hands, pulling her to her feet—to the couch.

The door closed with a heavy click behind her, and she fell into the comfortable gray couch, noticing at once the pristine condition of the apartment. She accepted his box of tissues with a broken cough.

"I need you to be strong," Souta said in a way that reminded her of Kakashi-sensei.

It made her knees weak, and had she not been sitting, she would likely have fallen. She nodded and swallowed the hiccups that were coming unnaturally close together, steadying her breathing.

She was on the verge of a panic-attack, or perhaps she was already in one. She couldn't tell, all she could think of was her sensei's prone form lying in the bed. Kagome's shallow face a floor below.

"Breathe," he said, holding her shoulders. She stared into his eyes and took deep breaths, feeling her sobs die away.

Finally satisfied she wasn't going to break down again, he let go, and she found the sensation hollow. Despite his silent edge, he was comforting in a way neither Naruto or Sasuke had ever been.

"Now," he implored, grabbing a glass from the small kitchen's cabinets and filling it with water. "Who is Itachi? And what does he want with Naruto?"

She sniffled and accepted the water gratefully.

"He's Sasuke's older brother. He killed their entire clan when I was younger. I don't remember how long ago, but Sasuke's always wanted revenge on him ever since."

"Why would he be after Naruto?"

"I don't know," she replied with a terrified hopelessness.

The boy nodded and stood a few feet away, his face expressionless except for the small frown marring his young features. She found herself remembering him before their last parting.

_"Ninja?" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Like the all-black tight rope creeps that sneak into your window at night to steal stuff?"_

The boy was so different then that child they had met on their way to Wave Country.

"Do you think Naruto will be okay?"

Souta didn't reply at once, and she felt her heart beginning to shatter. As much as she argued with the blonde, she never wanted anything to actually happen to him!

"I think so," he finally answered. "He's too stubborn, and he's with the Toad Sage."

She found it hard to believe that would matter. Kakashi had fought against Itachi and lost, and Kakashi was the strongest ninja she had ever seen. She had heard that the fight was over in less then a few minutes.

How could anyone beat someone like that?

"Sakura," said Souta suddenly, his face taking on a purposeful expression. "I think I have an idea."

She looked at him quietly, curiosity overtaking her sadness.

"I'm going to need your help."

"Will it help Kaka-sensei?"

"And many more," he said softly, with a sparkle of mischief hidden within his dark eyes.

She nodded, feeling resolve press into her chest. She wasn't the strongest, the prettiest, or even the smartest, but these people…

**Naruto**…

_"I'm going to be Hokage, believe it!"_

**Sasuke**…

_"I have an ambition that I have no intention of leaving just a dream..."_

**Souta**…

_"Souta!" Kagome said suddenly, watching him scratch his back against the willow. "What are you doing?"_

_"My back itches, I was just…"_

_"Of course, you're rubbing it against a tree covered in ants!"_

**Kakashi**…

_"Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life..."_

_"Hey, sensei, how come you never invited us over before?" asked Naruto loudly. She could see the older ninja slumped sadly on his favorite window perch, his face downcast._

_"I didn't invite you," muttered the man with a pout. She couldn't help but giggle at his predicament._

**Kagome**…

_"Be strong Sakura!" Kagome barked harshly. "You may not have the luxury of rest. Are you going to let your team-mates die because you couldn't hold out?"_

They had all accepted her regardless. They weren't a team anymore, not in Sakura's heart. They had evolved, added new members, and transformed. They were more then Team Seven, they were a family.

A real family.

"I'll help."


	56. III x

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"Kagome, right?"

She stood up from the stump where she had been waiting patiently, looking over in confusion at the group smiling back. Who were they? It was a tall blonde, a short brunette, and a dark-haired child that reminded her so much of Sasuke. They looked so familiar…

"Um, hi?"

"I told you she'd be pretty," said the girl with a laugh.

"Yeah," stuttered the boy. "Well Kakashi's not always had the best tastes."

"Kakashi?" she asked suddenly, her eyes lighting at the familiar name. "Do you know him? Is he here? I'm afraid I've gotten so lost, that I don't know where to go!"

"Heh," said the Sasuke-child, leaning back with his hands behind his head. She smiled at the familiar pose. His image overlapped with her favorite blonde and she had the odd urge to gather him up in her arms. "Of course!"

"Where is he? Is he here too?"

"No," replied the tall blonde. She looked at his face and tried to remember where she'd seen the face before. Startling blue eyes staring back. "But you should return soon."

"Do I know you?" Kagome asked, stepping towards the small group.

"Sort of," the brunette cried gleefully.

She frowned, curious.

"You should return," repeated the man as he held the girl by the shoulders. "Your friends are missing you."

"I would, but I can't find my way back."

The boy snorted.

"Well duh, you're going the wrong way!"

"Obito," chastised the blonde.

"Obito… I've heard that name before."

The boy grinned excitedly. The blonde shook his head in disdain, the locks flying easily everywhere.

"Go home Kagome," said the tall man with a little more urgency. "Go home soon, or you won't go home at all."

_Suddenly, Kikyo was standing before her, her face angrier then she'd ever seen it._

_"Go home Kagome!" she shouted._

_The world spun in front of her, colors meshing together._

_"GO HOME!"_

She grabbed her head, memories flooding to the surface.

_"This should be a good one," said a woman near her. She looked up to see a dark-haired brunette smiling lightly at her._

_"It would be better if Kakashi would get here," she muttered annoyed. She understood his tendency to be late, but this was really pushing it. He wouldn't even get to see Naruto's fight!_

_"He'll make it," said Sakura, her voice a little unsure though._

"I don't understand," she cried out, pulling at the raven tresses. "I don't know what to do!"

She looked up to see the group gone.

"I don't know where home is…"


	57. III xi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Naruto twisted his hands roughly, wringing them as if they were a damp towel. Maybe if he did so enough, he could distract his attention.

"Are they done yet!" he asked obstinately, nearly pulling out his hair in frustration. He had been waiting in hospital lobby for somewhere near an hour, impatiently pacing.

Sakura looked ready to strangle him.

"Will you shut up?" she shouted, smacking his head.

It hurt quite a bit, and he winced, rubbing it.

"But why is she taking so long?"

"How would I know?" his pink-haired teammate countered angrily. She looked really pretty when she yelled, her face would fluster that color that made her hair look all the better.

"UGH!" he ground out, pacing again.

He had returned to the village to find everything falling apart at his absence. Kakashi was out like a light, Sasuke recouping from a fight with Itachi, and Souta locked under house arrest. Seriously, they couldn't go a week and a half without him!

He wasn't too excited about Souta and Sakura's new relationship either.

She was taking him food and delivering his message, and she hadn't mentioned that bastard, Sasuke, but three times. What in the world was going on?

"Do you _have_ to do that?"

He looked over at Sakura to see her rolling her eyes.

"Well, what would you have me do?"

"I don't know! Just stop pacing and chewing and—I swear Naruto, I will throw you out of that window if you don't sit down!"

She was glaring, and he squinted back, absolutely refusing.

"Well if that old hag would hurry up…"

"She's doing her best," replied Sakura darkly. Naruto didn't care. He wanted Kagome awake, now, and this nervousness was driving him crazy.

"I thought she was the best!"

"You stupid brat," interrupted a voice from the doorway. He looked up just in time to see a fist slamming into his head. He fell into a crumpled mess on the floor. "I _am_ the best."

Sakura let out a small squeal of delight, and he slowly pulled himself from the floor. He looked up at the blonde Hokage with narrowed eyes, a terrifying hope swelling in his gut.

"Is she…"

"She's awake," the woman said haughtily, as if she just finished bathing and not completed some major surgery. He grinned with the widest smile he could imagine and moved to run into the room.

A hand blocked his way.

"One moment you two," said the Hokage with a small frown. "Before you go in there and ruin all of my hard work, we need to discuss some rules."

"What d'yah mean-"

"If you'd shut up, I'd tell you!" the lady said noisily, glaring.

He shut his mouth and glared back with equal force. Sakura elbowed him nastily, clearly losing patience.

"As I was saying, before you go in there you need to understand some things. I have managed to heal most of her injuries, but it will be a week, at best, before she can even leave. Luckily there's no infection, so the surgery went well. However, there will be no hugging, no rough-touching, and no upsetting my patient. If I hear either of you did that, you'll be banned from visitation for a month and you'll receive three times the normal amount of D-Ranked missions. Am I understood?"

He stared.

Was it that bad?

"I said, am I understood?"

He scowled.

"Yeah, we got it grandma!"

She leered but let them pass.

He rushed into the room without hesitation.

"Naruto…"

She was pale, paler then he remembered. Her face looked like frosted glass, eyes slightly sunken. Her lips curled in a slight smile, pained and dusty. She reminded him of those porcelain dolls they put in the windows, beautiful but untouchable—breakable.

He didn't like it.

"Sakura…"

He looked at his teammate to see her staring, almost disturbed.

"Kagome, we're so happy you're awake!" Sakura said brightly, pushing through the awkward thoughts. "Kaka-sensei and Sasuke would have been here, but they're on another floor."

Kagome frowned, small creases appearing between her brows.

"What happened?"

_However, there will be no hugging, no rough-touching, and no upsetting my patient._

Naruto glowered at Sakura, and she blushed lightly. So much for not upsetting the patient…

"Sasuke and Kakashi got in a fight with Itachi-"

"Sasuke's brother?" interrupted the woman; apparently all of that sleep hadn't slowed her brain process. Naruto, found himself incredibly relieved.

"Yeah! But hey, how did you know that?"

She smiled mysteriously and motioned for him to continue.

"Itachi beat up Sasuke and put Sensei in a genjutsu. But they're going to be fine now, I went and got that old hag, Tsunade, and she's like some big medic person."

He puffed out his chest and grinned, Sakura was shaking her head in dismay, but she didn't refute it. Kagome looked at him with pride.

"Ah…"

"Oh, and Souta's back!" interrupted Sakura excitedly. "He's living in Kaka-sensei's apartment. He would have been here, but he's not allowed to leave."

"You found him?" Kagome asked with wide eyes. Naruto felt a pang of jealousy twist in his gut, but he pushed it away. Kagome was awake, and now everything would be alright.

His friends were all going to be okay.

"He was in Konoha the whole time," said Sakura with a wiry smile. "But nobody knows how he got here, so he's under supervision."

Naruto watched Kagome's eyes glaze over in thought, and she released a small yawn.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but a knock interrupted him. He looked up to see one of the grouchy nurses huffing from the doorway.

"Alright kids, it's time for the lady to rest."

He whined and saw Sakura slump sadly next to him.

But they had only just gotten to talk to her! How could it be time to go already? Didn't they get more then a few minutes?

"It's okay," Kagome said, a knowing smile. "I'm sure I'll see you soon enough."

They nodded, and moved pitifully away, but she stopped them before they moved away.

"I'm glad your safe. I don't know what I'd do if anything had happened."

Naruto glanced backwards, electric blue eyes meeting tired brown. A barrage of thoughts echoed in his mind, words he wanted desperately to say, to cry, to scream.

_But we do. We almost lost you. _

Instead the door clicked closed.


	58. III xii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta scowled at the paper, wadding it up and tossing it behind him. It landed amongst the large sea of tumbling bundles—his numerous failures. He rubbed his head, warding off the oncoming headache.

Writing had always been his favorite subject in school. He was good at it. He could write a paper in half the time as his peers, and had earned him several awards that lined his bedroom walls. He had placed them proudly beside his soccer trophies.

Unfortunately, that wasn't helping here.

It didn't matter what approach he tried. He had made outlines, bubbles, randomly spewing lines, and found himself ready to beat his head against the desk. He couldn't think of what to say or how to say it. He felt distracted, nervous, and he wasn't getting anywhere with this!

Why couldn't he concentrate?

He knew the answer all too well.

"Kagome," he whispered looking out the window, her face appearing in his mind. Sakura had come by earlier to tell him of the surgery. It would be a while before she could walk, or even be admitted from the hospital.

Which was good, because at the moment, he couldn't even leave Kakashi's apartment, much less take care of them both.

He was weak.

Souta slid out another piece of paper, with a sigh. The empty white sheet glared impenetrably at him. He dipped a small brush in ink, watching with satisfaction as it glided perfectly, staining each character permanently.

With a flick of his wrist, he curled the brush around in a semi-circle, marveling at the beauty of the calligraphy.

"Inuzuka."

But what else?

Souta looked at the book beside him, a large tome about the history of the clans; below it he outlined the genealogy in a sweltering graph. It stopped around three hundred years ago, but it was certainly enough for him to work with. The problem was making someone else understand.

"It would be easier if I could just say it," Souta whispered, grouchy.

He pressed the brush lightly to his lips, gnawing slightly on the end.

What to say? How do you convince someone they're descended from a Dog demon of legend? And how do you do it with nearly no proof? How do you convince someone to protect a complete stranger?

He really wished Kakashi were here. He'd probably know better what to do.

The man was smarter then anything Souta remembered. He thought not one or two, but six and seven steps ahead. He could engineer simple solutions from complex ideas. He was a genius, and Souta envied him for a brief moment.

"It has come to my attention," he said as he lightly stroked the words, making sure to perfect each and every character with attention. "What to say…"

How do you convince a group of dog people your related to a dog demon?

And which one would they be related to?

"InuYasha," he said decisively, chewing on his lip. Kagome and InuYasha had the closest bond, which would make it easier to get their loyalty. How do you convince someone of their relation when you have absolutely no proof, and according to Pakkun, it had been a thousand years since the creation of the two worlds!

"It has come to my attention," Souta repeated, eyeing the ink thoughtfully. "That you are a descendant of InuYasha, the Great Dog General's second son."

His hands worked swiftly and efficiently. Curling letters and twisting ink. He smiled at the beauty of the first line, but then stared at the rest, suddenly deterred. He only had one line. Why was this so hard to write?

He crushed the paper in his hands, tossing it behind him.

Why was this so imperfect? All he wanted was to write a simple letter to a single clan. How could that be so hard?

Scowling, Souta tried again.


	59. III xiii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome leaned towards the bed, her arms resting calmly on her knees as she stared at the sleeping ninja's face. Her wheelchair had been carefully positioned next to him and the bed stand so she could contact one of the nurse assistants if she needed anything. Besides her nearly constant thirst, there really wasn't much to need.

"I bet your pretending to be asleep," Kagome said softly, scratching the spot behind her ear. "You ninja, you're all the same you know. Deceiving… Conniving… Late! You, sir, are always late. Can you not even wake up on time?"

She sighed and shook her head, a small smile growing against the worried frown.

"I bet if I started torching that orange book you'd wake up."

Maybe it was just her, but he seemed to still. But after a second glance she found his chest rising and falling normally in those long deep breaths. The sheets obscured his face, but she could see the outline of his lips where the moisture from his breath had tugged them close.

She imagined he had beautiful lips.

Not overly big, but perfectly symmetrical. They'd quirk in tiny smiles and she'd be able to see his strong chin. Those were the kind of lips a girl loved to kiss.

She reached out a finger tentatively, brushing against the sheet. It moved slightly, revealing a small amount of skin on his nose. It would be so easy, so simple to move the sheet and see for herself. But that would be violating his privacy.

She pulled away quickly.

"Mmmmmm…"

Kagome sat up straight, ignoring the muscles painfully tightening in her abdomen. She looked towards the ninja, staring at his eye. He twitched a little, but did no more.

"Kakashi?"

A lip quirked slightly, and she felt a warm sensation spread through her chest.

"Kakashi!"

He twitched again and Kagome felt tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Ka… gome?"

She shook as excitement, joy, and fear spread all throughout her.

"You're awake," she cried, nearly coming out of the wheelchair in happiness. She grabbed his hand instead, squeezing it without remorse. "Everyone was so worried."

"I… I don't… Where am I?"

"The hospital you goose."

A single, black eye opened and swiveled towards her. It stared deeply, as though drinking her in. It wasn't lazy anymore, but bright and studious.

"You're alive."

Kagome blushed awkwardly and rubbed her arm.

"Yeah, thanks to you and the new Hokage." She smiled softly then and leaned forward, her lips brushing against the fabric on his cheek. He didn't move. "Thank you."

Suddenly he shifted, moving upwards in a sitting position, and the fabric began falling from his face. She turned immediately, her face heating with embarrassment. Her palms began to sweat and she felt an odd churning in her stomach. This felt so… so intimate.

She felt that same nervousness she got when peaking on InuYasha and Kikyo.

"Kagome,"

She turned hesitantly back to see him still sitting up, and he made no move to cover himself.

She stared.

His lips, dry from so many days of sleep, smiled with a strange quip that made his eye move only slightly—the kind that meant he was tired but happy. But she couldn't concentrate on that, because without half his face disguised, she found herself enraptured. She couldn't think straight or really concentrate.

Because while he'd been cute and annoying before, he was beautiful now.

"I save you and that's all I get?"

She was really having trouble comprehending what he was saying, because his face was quite distracting. Did he know that his lips twisted in an s? That he had some of the whitest teeth she'd ever seen? No wonder he never took his mask off!

No one would ever be able to get anything done!

"Ahhhh…"

He laughed slightly and she marveled that it seemed so different with no interference.

A hand reached out and held her face. She let the hard callouses press against her and pull her forward.

"Kaka…"

He silenced her with a mind-searing kiss.

And she awoke with a gasp.

"Kagome?"

She looked up to see Sasuke standing above her. She tried to hide her own disappointment as he looked at her in confusion and curiosity.

"Sasuke," she said, trying to ignore the horrible blush that warred on her face and the memory of that false kiss and false face. "Is everything okay?"

"You were mumbling and you're really red. Should I call a nurse?"

"No!" she said immediately, feeling the blush deepen. How embarrassing to be caught dreaming about his teacher! Ugh! "It was just a crazy dream, thank you for waking me. But how could you hear me? You're supposed to be two floors down."

"Oh."

She watched as he struggled inwardly with something.

Her embarrassment subsided and she began to feel an intense worry as he began to systematically shut down. Was it something she had said?

"Nevermind."

He turned away, and she leaned forward before she could stop herself. The muscles in her torso burned at the movement.

"No-"

He stopped a few steps away and looked back at her, eyes inky black as she heaved on the bed. He was calculating, thinking, and berating her. She knew that look intimately.

"I should go."

"Go where?"

When he didn't answer, she summoned her powers and pushed them through the air, purifying some of the blackening aura twisting up from the cursed mark.

He moved away as if physically burned. She glared, tasting the demonic energy that began to grow around him. His eyes flashed dangerously red, but she didn't back down.

"I said to where."

He looked back at her and glared in return.

"It's none of your business."

"It is when you're acting like you're crazy!"

"What would you know?"

"Excuse you?"

"You don't know anything!"

"Oh yeah? Then why did you come here?"

He stopped, his building anger subsiding slightly as he tried to understand his own feelings to express them. She knew that look. Whatever seal Kakashi had put on him to stop that horrible curse must be wearing thin.

"I don't know."

She leaned back in the bed before motioning to the place beside her. He looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"What?"

"I'm not laying there."

"Fine, then sit."

He grumbled something and looked like he wanted to leave. She let her energy free to spark against the speckles of demonic powers in his aura. He jumped slightly and glared; she smirked and rubbed the spot again.

He sat reluctantly.

"Thank you," Kagome said as she touched his shoulder. He flinched.

She noticed then that it was bright and red, like he'd been scratching at it.

"Does it itch?" she asked softly, a little confused.

"No."

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kagome took a deep breath, feeling heavy.

"Sasuke," she said softly, rubbing his arms. Why were they so cold? How long had he been out of bed? She glanced at the clock and noticed it read somewhere around three. "Is everything okay? I spoke to Sakura a couple of days ago, she seems really worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"Well, they say I should be released soon, though they won't let me out of a wheelchair. I'm also expecting a visit soon from Tsunade and Danzo. I expect I will have a trial as soon as Tsunade runs out of excuses."

"A… trial?"

"Yes, the little stunt with the snakes has shown to the council I have power they did not originally know about. And while the Hokage protected me, since his death I am now without his guardianship. And with Kakashi in a coma, I have no one to vouch for me."

"But you helped save the village!"

"Yes, and then they saved me. Their debt is paid, no, according to Souta's letter, we will need a clan to vouch for us."

She looked at Sasuke who seemed to have lost his troubled look and was now thinking deeply, his eyes narrowed.

"I could vouch for you. The Uchiha clan is one of the oldest of this village."

"That is sweet, but I would never ask that of you. Besides, the person would have to have some place on the council, and I don't think you would want to sit through those stuffy meetings."

She laughed breathily when Sasuke began to blush, resembling more of the child she had known in the land of Waves.

"But what are you going to do then?"

"Wait for Kakashi, I guess." Her smiled turned a little sad as she began to stare up at the ceiling. "You know you can lay down if you want."

Sasuke frowned, but did eventually lay beside her. They laid there for several minutes, listening to the scurrying of nurses outside their door.

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

Kagome let her eyes drop, and pulled the boy close.

"Of course, he's just a little late."

Like usual.


	60. Interlude: Kakashi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi awoke to a strange sight.

Looking up, he found a very busty blonde leaning over his bed, her face obscured and hazy, while her chest bounced innocently in front of him.

"Am I… dead?"

The woman backed away and grinned, laughing, and he suddenly remembered the sound.

"Tsunade."

"Aye, Kakashi, it's good to see you finally awake. Kagome will be most pleased; she has been down to visit you every other day. I had to discourage her as the trips were undoing all of my hard work."

He stared in surprise.

"Kagome, she's okay?"

She looked at him strangely, knowingly.

"Yes. We have a lot to talk about Kakashi."

He sighed and let his head rest against the pillow, adopting a bored expression. He looked towards the older woman and waited.

"Alright, well I should start by letting you know that your students are all well, or as well as some can be. Sakura has spent the last few weeks since you've been out running errands for that boy—Souta. He has concocted quite the scheme."

"Oh?"

"He has somehow managed to convince the Inuzuka clan to meet with Kagome. From what I understand, there may yet be an alliance forming between them and what is quickly becoming the Higurashi clan."

Kakashi clung to his mask even as his chest swelled with pride at the boy's accomplishments.

"Souta has done all of that?"

"Indeed," Tsunade said with a twitching lip. Anything that interrupted Danzo's plans would be in Tsunade's interest. "He and Sakura have managed quite a lot in your absence. Naruto has even learned Minato's Razengan."

He could feel the mask unraveling.

"But how…"

"The boy is a very apt learner when pushed. I hear he was named the most surprising ninja. Perhaps the name is not so wrong, as it was Naruto who convinced me to comeback as Hokage."

He shook his head and shuffled the information.

"What about Sasuke?"

"I feared he would leave us for a little while there. He was becoming dangerously uncontrollable, and his anger increasing daily."

"But?"

"That girl of yours."

He blinked.

"Kagome?"

"Your students love her as much as you and yours loved Kushina."

He smiled remembering the red-headed woman. She had served as a mother to them, and as a friend when they were upset. He remembered the time he had yelled a little harshly at Obito and she had come screeching in, demanding he apologize.

"Do you love her?"

He stopped, looking up at her with confusion.

"Danzo is determined to arrest them, and to probably enlist them in his secret organization, I'm sure. I've read the Wave-report, I know she's from a different dimension, and I'm tempted to send them both back there and to destroy the well they came from."

He nodded, feeling something in his chest tighten.

"And would my answer change anything?"

Tsunade stared back, eyes narrowed.

"I am unsure," she finally admitted, slouching. "Naruto is going to be a handful when she goes. He's become incredibly attached to the girl."

He nodded and the Hokage finally stood, pulling herself up and walking towards the door. She glanced one final time at Kakashi, her eyes full of pity.

"I am truly sorry," she whispered before opening the door and walking out. He could hear her shouting at the nurses several doors down about gossiping.

Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to mull over the information presented to him. But every time he tried to think logically about it, he came back to the same heart-breaking conclusion.

Kagome needed to return home.


	61. III xiv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"Ms. Higurashi," bowed the woman slightly from the doorway of the hospital room. Kagome nodded her head from the bed. She smiled and tinkered with the Shikon Jewel.

"Ms. Inuzuka," she responded back. "I appreciate you taking the time out to come visit me."

"Indeed," responded the woman with a raised eyebrow. Kagome noticed at once the stripes on her cheeks, the same color as the ones Sesshomaru wore. Perhaps there was some truth in her lies. "I understand you have some proof to explain these outrageous claims?"

"I do." She looked at the dog standing near the Inuzuka. Extending her powers, she tried to sense any demonic presence from the creature, but found it watered down similar to the ninjas. "Do you have a summons?

The woman gave a wolfish laugh, surprised.

"You do not think Kaguya is a summons?"

"No," Kagome replied slowly. "But I imagine she may be descended from one."

"You are more then you seem, Ms. Higurashi," said the woman with a fanged grin. She bit her thumb and made several hand moves. A moment later, after a cloud of smoke, a medium sized dog stood in front of them.

It looked like a Siberian husky with penetrating black eyes and a nasty growl.

"Why have you summoned me?" asked the creature deeply.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi," the priestess said softly holding up the shikon jewel in her hand. "Do you recognize this?"

The dog stared for a moment before straightening instantly.

"The rumors are true!"

The Inuzuka stared in surprise at the creature.

"What are you talking about?" asked the dog-mistress. "Do you know this woman?"

"No, but I have heard of her, we all have. The Spirits of the before have often told of how the world was split, and of the Shikon Priestess. But we all thought the jewel destroyed in the final wish."

Kagome grimaced, remembering her own wish.

_"I wish…" she said softly, eyes tearful. "I wish…"_

_"I wish Naraku had never existed…"_

"Did they speak of Naraku?"

The Husky shook his head. "It has been many ages since that time, there are few now that still remember that time."

Kagome nodded.

Ms. Inuzuka shook her head wildly and turned to the dog.

"Her brother, who is merely a pup, claims we owe her allegiance. Is this true? Are we descended from the InuYasha of legend?"

The dog wolfed out a great laugh.

"They had many children, there is no telling. However, it is the law of the Dog-nation to protect the wielder of the Shikon."

Kagome looked up with a little surprise.

Before she could ask any more questions, the Inuzuka woman waived her hand in clear dismissal. She was surprised to see the demon disappear in a puff of smoke. In the Feudal era, if any human had tried that, even to a demon as small as that one, they would have easily lost an arm.

She felt a tug in her heart at how domesticated the demons had become.

Was this what Sesshomaru had feared? She could suddenly understand, if only slightly, his hatred for humans.

"I have heard enough. I will think on what has been said here and we will decide whether an alliance is in the best interest of our people."

Kagome nodded and watched the woman walk away.

Turning towards her closet, she let out a low whistle.

"Is she gone?" asked Sakura softly.

"Yea," the priestess replied. She leaned back in the bed with a heavy sigh. "Souta's going to be disappointed."

"Why?" inquired the pink haired girl. "There won't be an alliance, that woman is too proud to ally herself with us. She doesn't need us; there isn't anything mutually beneficial here."

Sakura nodded slightly and she noticed an odd expression on her face.

Something began to stir within, and she felt an uneasiness grow.

"You're not telling me something."

Sakura blushed red in affirmation and Kagome glared.

"What are you hiding?"

The girl shook her head, opened her mouth to say something, and the snapped it close once more.

Kagome prepared herself to ask again, when Sakura quickly excused herself. She watched mutely as the child all but tripped over herself on the way out. She didn't even notice the red rosary hidden on the girl's body.

"What are they up to," Kagome asked softly, grumbling.

It wasn't much longer she got another visitor.

"Tsunade-hime," she raised an eyebrow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Kagome Higurashi," drawled the big breasted woman with a sigh. "You are more troublesome then I first expected."

Kagome blinked, having not expected such a retort.

"What's wrong?"

"The council has demanded to see you no later than next Wednesday. I am afraid I can stall no longer, and when they see you, they will tear you apart, much as they did to your brother."

"Excuse me?"

Tsunade looked at her with a disdainful glare.

"You heard me just fine. Don't bother trying to fight against them; it will only make things worse. Danzo is not someone you want as an enemy."

Kagome huffed, crossing her arms. Pursing her lips, she leveled a glare at the blonde, rather annoyed with the way things were going. One bad conversation was quite enough for the day.

"If all you have is bad news, then I imagine this conversation is quite finished."

Tsunade actually laughed at that, and Kagome glowered. _Ninjas_…

"I actually came to offer you a different solution."

"Oh?"

"I would like to have you escorted out of the city in secrecy and to your well. Don't look at me so surprised, I am the new Hokage, I have access to all of those secret files. Now, I will make it look like you and your brother ran away. We will destroy the well after your departure, and this matter will be behind us all. On the other hand, if you should happen to return, you would be considered missing-nin's and would likely be killed upon sight."

Kagome stared at the woman as if she had grown a second head.

"_That's_ your great idea?"

The Hokage scowled.

"You have anything better?"

She didn't, but she still glared.

"Surely there's another way to clear our names without becoming fugitives?"

"Yes," said the woman with an angry snort. "You can go marry that woman, Inuzuka's son. Or ally yourself to Danzo, I'm sure he'd love to investigate your powers more thoroughly. Or, of course, you can take your brother's route—imprisonment. Any of these choices sound enjoyable yet?"

Kagome wilted under the steady stream of ideas.

"But I haven't done anything to you."

"It doesn't matter, you are guilty in the council's eyes until proven innocent. We are in a very fickle position right now, and could easily tip into war times. Having unknown citizens wandering around with ninja-like powers is not in Konoha's best interest. Without proof that you are loyal to this city, there's nothing I can do."

Kagome felt a heavy burden fall upon her shoulders.

"Can I think about it?"

"If you must, but I need an answer by Monday at the latest. You have three days to decide. The earlier the better we will be able to disguise this."

Kagome nodded and let her head fall forward, catching it in her hands.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry."

Kagome nodded and the older woman left.

_Go Home…_


	62. III xv

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kakashi walked slowly into the room, pushing down the feelings of regret. Staring into the hopeful smile, he felt his heart begin to crack.

She looked so beautiful with raven locks cascading down her back. Her eyes glowed despite the gloomy room, and her smile could light his heart with a simple gesture. Well, normally it could, except today it was causing it break and shatter.

He blinked away any emotion and walked forward.

"Kakashi!" she said with a smile. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm not really allowed to leave the room, but Sasuke said you had woken up."

Her voice grew softer and she looked down at the sheets.

"I was worried about you."

He felt his voice close up in his throat at such a fragile expression. She had been worried for him. Only a fool couldn't tell that she cared, and he would have to be the fool that broke that. He would break her trust, her heart, and hopefully any hope of returning.

"You're still here."

He swallowed the pain from her confusion and moved forward again.

"What… Kakashi?"

"I heard what Kanna the white said, or the mirrors, whichever you wish to call her. You started all of this. You started this war."

"But… What-"

"You should have never come back."

Tears were beginning to swell in her eyes, and he forced himself to stare coolly. He let his killing aura rise, and felt her own emotions begin to release. Sparks ignited in the air where her energy met his.

"What do you mean?"

Kakashi glared, clutching his fist to keep from breaking down. He needed to be strong. Strong for her, and strong for Souta. It was better they return home to where they would be safe then to stay here where Danzo would either imprison her or execute them.

This was their only real choice.

And he was the only thing truly holding them back.

"You're the reason the Hokage is dead. If it weren't for you, your brother would never have gotten hurt, Naruto would have never been in such grave danger. Sasuke would have never gotten that damned seal."

He was improvising.

It was working.

The tears were quickly becoming full-grown sobs, and he felt his heart ache to see that such nonsense actually struck a chord.

"Kakashi… How-Why?"

And here was the hardest part.

"You've hindered us for the last time. Go home Kagome, and never come back."

He turned and walked through the door and shut it swiftly. Without missing a beat he ran all the way to the cemetery. When he found Obito's grave, he finally allowed himself to break. He cried onto the cold surface, knowing the hard slate was nothing compared to his own broken heart.

"Kagome…"

He bowed against the memorial and not for the first time wished it was he that had died beneath that rock.


	63. III xvi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta frowned in confusion as he glanced between Kagome's latest letter and Kakashi's closed door. He hadn't seen the older ninja for since he had awoken, though according to Sakura he had become incredibly active. She could barely find the time now to help him run errands now that she was back in full-scale training.

In fact, the last time he had seen his pink-haired accomplish, she was dripping with sweat and looked black and blue from all of the fights.

He had given her some letters to drop at the post-office, but kept back the other things. Her eyes were far too sunken with fatigue and he didn't want to burden her with anything else.

"Kagome," he whispered, eyes trailing down the letter and once again to Kakashi's door. "I don't get it."

Why did she suddenly want to return home? She was so vague that he knew something must be wrong. And Kakashi's sudden refusal to even come through the front doors… It had to be connected, but how?

He eyed the rosary and her letter, debating on what to do.

This threw all of his plans in a twist. He hadn't expected Kagome to so suddenly want to return. He had thought…

He was sure that the two cared for each other…

He was so certain Kagome would want to stay.

He remembered clearly the sleepless nights she had sat by the well house, clutching the very rosary. He remembered listening to her cry in the shower. How could he forget the broken girl that had returned to replace his sister?

And he was certain—no more than certain—that the same stranger was returning again.

"What happened?" he said softly, crumpling the paper. What had happened to all of his carefully laid plans? His endless hours of reading, studying, and preparing?

Giving a soft sigh, he did the only thing he could think of.

Souta continued on, packaging the last piece of the plan. He buried the rosary in a box and twisted the ribbon intricately around the piece. Opening his window, he looked for the ANBU officer he knew was positioned there.

"Mr. Cat, I know you're there. I normally wouldn't ask this of you, but would you please deliver this to the Inuzuka clan?"

Placing the package on the seal, he set a couple of sandwiches on top as payment. He then closed the window and shut the curtains. He knew, instinctively the box would be gone by morning.

It had been boredom that made him befriend the soldier.

Leaning back he tried to think of a way to convince his sister to be patient.


	64. Interlude: Danzo

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Danzo smirked as he read once more over the intercepted letter. The boy thought he had gained some leverage on the council, it was almost laughable. It wouldn't matter if his little asinine plot with the Inuzuka turned out fruitful or not, neither Higurashi were going anywhere.

Sarutobi had done a good job in keeping the girl away by hiding her away with the Copy-Cat Ninja, and posting loyal ANBU nearby. But with that peace-loving fool gone, there were about to be some serious changes.

And Tsunade's plot would be the first.

Idiotic girl had clearly spent too much time with the Kyuubi-brat if she though he was just going to let her slip such valuable assets out the front gate.

No, he had already made plans to switch the guards at the last moment.

Drafting out a new letter, he took careful care to imitate the neat scrawl of the boy. The child would agree to the leave, and they would meet at the well.

Danzo smirked, knowing fully well that no such thing would actually happen. His men would grab the girl, and then the boy, bringing them to one of the ROOT holding cells. He would break them, take their DNA, and have them either join ROOT or sell them to Orochimaru who would use them in his experiments.

"Lord Danzo?"

He turned lazily to see who had entered.

"What is it?" he asked softly, perturbed that the nameless figure had not knocked.

"The envoy from Orochimaru is here early, they are hoping to retrieve Sasuke within the coming days."

Danzo frowned and nodded, curling his lips. They would have to wait as the Higurashi time period was clearly closing fast. Tsunade would likely try to move the two as soon as tomorrow night. He needed to make certain that the guard rotation thinned itself.

"Have them escorted to the vacancy area and let them know their mission has been postponed, for several days. If need be, they can train in some of the underground chambers."

The shadow nodded and bowed.

Danzo turned back to the letter at hand, a smirk washing over his face.

He felt light gloating, but it was too early for that. No, he would need to install some other contingencies in the effect that something went wrong, namely that annoying Tsunade and Kakashi.

Signing the sheet with a swirl, Danzo wrapped it in a seal and called for one of the medical-nins.

"See that this is delivered to Kagome Higurashi," he said stiffly tossing it to the young woman's hands. She plucked it from the air with ease and bowed before walking out.

"Like taking candy," he muttered even as he begun to laugh.


	65. III xvii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta gave a small smile when he opened the door to find the pink-haired girl waiting on the other side.

"Sakura," he said softly, opening the door wider. "What brings you here?"

She let out an exhausted sigh and walked in, running her fingers through her messy hair. Ever since he had returned her hair had been short and messy, completely contrasting the girly, well-kept ninja he had left behind.

He wondered if that was Kakashi or Kagome's effect.

_Probably the later._

Closing the door he turned a curious eye to his friend.

"Sensei's acting weird," the girl said finally with a huff. "He didn't show up at all to training, and while we expect him to be late, he usually shows up eventually."

Souta rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and blinked.

"Well he certainly hasn't been here. I haven't heard him for a couple of days, though he doesn't use the front door anymore, so I can't really be sure."

"Yeah, well I checked with Ms. Kagome, and I don't know what's going on, but she looked ready to blow up. Why is everyone acting so weird? Well, all the adults I mean."

Souta remembered a time in his past when he would have immediately erupted in speculations, ranting about the unfairness, and pouting in seclusion. His solitary confinement had taught him the value of silence though, and instead he moved to the oven to fix some tea.

Sakura was looking at him with that same pitiful look that told him she remembered just as well.

"Something odd is going on."

She perked in interest.

"What do you think it is?"

Souta frowned and lit the range. Gently he placed the kettle on the eye and moved to the counters, thinking how to specifically phrase his speculations.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has to do with that letter on the coffee table."

Out of the corner of his eye, Souta could see the ninja pull the envelope towards her. Her face mirrored a cluster of emotions. Curiosity, confusion, anger, and fear. His mind clicked readily, devouring the information and hording it for further investigation.

"You're leaving!"

He felt a grin peak through his lips.

So _that's_ what she was worried about.

Girls.

"Kagome believes so, but I hope to convince her to stay for at least a few more days, at least long enough to get the Inuzuka clan's reply."

Sakura looked at him in confusion.

"But-"

Her reply was cut off by the loud shriek of the boiling kettle. He nodded in apology and moved to take the water off the stove, shutting off the flame. He pulled two small tea cups from the cabinet and placed a tea bag in each.

"Would you like honey?"

"Oh, erm, yeah."

Just as he turned, however, a loud shattering interrupted their time.

"SOUTA!"

He twisted on his feet immediately landing in a crouch as he grabbed the nearest object—one of Kakashi's spoons.

Crap.

"Souta, get back!" shouted the pink-haired ninja as she pulled a kunai from her belt. The intruder had broken Kakashi's living room window in a shower of glass. He wore all black and hid his face behind a fox mask.

"Mr. ANBU, what are you doing here?"

The man didn't answer and instead pulled out a rather nasty sword from off his back. Souta felt a familiar fear begin to grow in his gut.

"Sakura, we need to get out of here."

Behind the mask he heard a breathy laugh.

"Dumb fools, you're not going anywhere."

Racing forward the ninja easily brushed off Sakura and let three spinning stars fly towards him. Without thinking, Souta ducked and rolled, barely avoiding all of the projectiles. He came up and flung some nearby silverware at the man. The assailant swatted the utensils aside with ease.

"What do you want with me?" Souta demanded; his hand already on the hot kettle.

"I've been sent to _collect_ you," laughed the man haughtily. "Apparently you're the lesser of the two as my orders didn't concern your… state."

His hand tightened on the kettle and he glimpsed at Sakura struggling on the floor where the man had knocked her.

_He's strong. And he's fast, I need a calculated advantage. Stall, Souta, I need to stall._

"What have you done with my sister!" he demanded, shaping his face into rage. It wasn't hard as Sakura looked to be bleeding. He needed a plan, some way to distract the ninja and lead him away.

"Heh, where you're going, it won't matter."

The man stepped forward, clearly assured of his victory and Souta swung the kettle with all of his might. When the ninja went to knock the pot aside, the contents erupted and showered him in scalding water.

"AHHHHHH!

Souta turned and ran.

Streaming chakra to his feet, Souta took advantage of the distraction and ran through his own room and towards the window. Pushing the glass up, he took a deep breath.

Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the darkness.

Kakashi's apartment stood somewhere near the top and Souta had only a few seconds to grab hold of the wall with his arms and feet. It was like skiing down the side of a building, and he swerved constantly to avoid window sills, drying laundry, and one very angry bird.

Eventually he slowed to a stop where he jumped to the nearby ledge. Opening their window he let himself in.

The room was small and somewhat colorful—full of purple flowers and hanging lanterns. It was also, unfortunately, occupied.

The rather young blonde subsequently screamed bloody murder.

"Shut the hell up!" he shouted back, pushing through her bedroom and into the living room. He hurriedly unlocked the main door and pressed down the hall, not even bothering to shut the door behind him. He had to hurry.

He needed to run.

_Sakura…_

Heaving, he turned the corner and rushed down the stairs. They circled in a large square about four stories. Time was precious; the ninja couldn't be far behind, he needed to go faster. He needed to hurry.

Souta jumped on the railing and slid easily down, using his chakra to keep attached to the metal.

"Faster," he whispered, still not moving fast enough. "I've got to save them!"

_"My sister and I were attacked while we were camping-"_

_"And you just left her there?" asked the blonde incredulously. "What kind of brother are you!"_

He wouldn't be a coward anymore, but he wasn't so naïve to try to do this on his own. He needed a plan. He needed help. He needed Kakashi.

"I'm coming Kagome."


	66. III xviii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

"NARUTO!"

The blonde boy jumped in his bed, clutching his frog-shaped cap as he rolled to the floor, comically tumbling over himself. Half asleep he looked up at a bloody Sakura standing inside his window, clutching her side. Blood spilled down her leg and she looked incredibly pale.

His mouth dropped open.

"Saku…"

She lurched forward and he rushed to catch her, feeling her sticky fluids leaking on his hands.

"Naru…to! Souta's in trouble!"

"Sakura, I'm going to go get help-"

She shudder under his hands and his thoughts began to run rapidly through his head. Too rapidly. He was losing control, his breathing was growing, his hands twitching.

"Sakura, I don't… I need to…"

"Souta and Kagome-" the girl repeated again, struggling.

_Deep breaths._

Naruto let his subconscious take control the world began to overwhelm him. Breathing deeply through his nostrils he smelled blood (_lots of blood)_, Sakura's shampoo, and small traces of tea. Something must have happened, she'd been attacked.

"Naruto."

She caught his attention again. He stared at her, horror drawn against his face.

"Please… Save them!"

Nodding, Naruto slowly pulled the pink haired girl up and placed her on the bed. Pulling away, he felt his resolve strengthen. He could do this. He would do this! No one hurt his friends!

"Kage no Bushin!"

Twenty versions of him filled the tiny apartment bedroom.

"Hey, get your hand out of my gut!"

"Excuse you?"

"Will you move, I wanna protect Sakura!"

"Why do you get to? That's not fair! You did it last time!"

"Shut up you moron, he is you!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head feeling incredibly embarrassed. Sakura was looking at the lot like they'd lost their minds.

"Maybe… should have… Sasuke first…"

Naruto scowled at the bastard's name and turned his attention on the near-brawling group of himself.

"All of you, out! You, stay behind to keep an eye on Sakura! You, get Sasuke and let him know what's going on. You, go find Kagome and make sure she's okay. You, find the Old Lady. The rest of you find out where Souta is!"

"Aye boss!" shouted one of the nearest clones.

Naruto grinned at Sakura one last time before giving her a thumbs up.

"Everything's going to be alright, believe it!"

Jumping out the window, he let himself free fall for several seconds before jumping up to a nearby roof. A few feet over, he saw three clones running with him, arms trailing behind them and determined looks on their faces.

Looking back ahead, he jumped up and to the right, going to explore the North Eastern side of the city. His mind trailed to the past.

_"I can't find the Chakra you guys use. I've been out here for hours trying to find myself. I don't get it, how do you find yourself!"_

_Naruto stared for a moment before laughing uproariously. Souta found his attitude souring even further._

_"It's not funny!"_

_"Yes it is!" Naruto wheezed, holding his sides. "Who the hell said you had to find yourself?"_

_"Kagome," he muttered, annoyed._

_Naruto laughed even harder._

Naruto and Souta hadn't really hit it off in the beginning. He spent too much time talking to Sakura. Naruto didn't like the way he talked to Kagome either.

_If I had a sister, I would never be like that!_ Naruto thought, feeling the familiar tightness in his chest.

But in a way, he did have a sister now. Sort of.

_"Don't worry 'Gome!" he said excitedly, and he felt his heart swell when her dark mood seemed to disappear a little. "We'll find him! I will always protect my precious people, that's my ninja way!"_

_He blushed a little as she pulled him to her, a proud look on her face. He shouted loudly when she took the moment to dig her knuckles into his head._

_"Oww! Oww! What's that for?"_

_"Don't call me that horrible name!" she shouted back, clutching him tightly. "And don't you dare go looking for him too, cause if you both go missing I'll kill Kakashi."_

Naruto sniffed and jumped past another rooftop, feeling the wind bite at his face. Whoever had done this was going to pay!

He growled, feeling the vibrations all the way to his stomach.

No one hurt his family!


	67. III xix

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome awoke in a dark place.

"Where am I?"

A man laughed darkly in the shadows and a deep fear wormed its way in her heart. She clutched at her neck to find the small bauble still firmly where it was supposed to be. Lying stiffly on the floor, she fisted her hands, eyes darting for any possible weapon.

The room was bare and covered in stones. It looked like a fortress of some sort with now windows or doors except for the single sliver of light hanging overhead.

"Well, well. I'm glad to finally get to meet you at last Miss Higurashi. I must say, you are not an easy young lady to get a hold of."

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

That same laugh came again, this time from the other side of the room. She twisted anxiously, trying to find the source.

"Ah, I suppose you can simply call me an admirer."

Kagome shivered at the tone and tried to pull her powers to the surface, intending on pouring the entire ten-foot are with a purification wave.

"Ahhhh!" she hissed, feeling as if her body had instantly caught fire. Her bones ached knowingly, and her skin buzzed with some light blue energy that cocooned her.

"Tut, tut…" hummed the shadow. "Now, now, there'll be none of that. You're here for an _observation_ at the moment, let's not rush to get to the more experimental procedures."

"Experimental…" she muttered, feeling something in her stomach ache.

For a moment, Kagome felt completely sick.

Maybe if she shouted loud enough Kaka-

No.

He had left her.

He was gone, perhaps even further then InuYasha.

"My associate will be here soon to acquire you and your brother."

Fear seized her as she heard his words.

"What have you done with him," she growled out lowly.

"Nothing, for the moment. But if I were you, I wouldn't put up so much trouble. I'd hate for such a cute little boy to find out the hard way how these misadventures can end."

Kagome stilled, letting the threat sink in even as she felt the bile rise in her throat.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you hurt a single hair on his body, so help me I'll-"

"You'll what?"

A body emerged behind her, a hand gripping her shoulder roughly, swinging around to face him. She looked up, and gurgled with disbelief. The man that stood before her was bandaged, with a single eye he glared down, his other arm pulled out of its sling.

His hand grabbed her chin and pulled her towards him, forcing her to stare him in the eye.

She stared in terror.

He smirked and threw her back.

Landing in a heap, she struggled to sit up, shaking nervously.

"From the reports, I expected more… spunk. Higurashi, you disappoint me."

She shivered on the floor and watched as he melted in the shadows again. He didn't say anything for a long moment. And finally, after what seemed an eternity, she realized he was gone. She let herself collapse in tears and sobbed on the floor.

_"You should have never come back."_

All she could hear were his words echoing continually in her head.

_"You should have never come back."_

Deep inside, Kagome knew this was one adventure she wouldn't be coming back from.


	68. III xx

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Souta screeched to a halt and swung left, twisting around what was left of the sign post. Thank heaven Mama had insisted he join a sport, he thought as he vaulted some construction signs. Behind him, he couldn't hear the ninja, or even see him, but he could _feel _the guy trailing close. Too close.

_Where are you Kakashi?_

He sprinted through the open street.

He heard the whistle in the air.

_Duck!_

He tried to stop, and fell, rolling forward on the hard pavement. His arm stung and he hissed through his teeth, righting himself. He found the kunai a few millimeters from where his legs had been.

"Damn kid," hissed the ninja as he suddenly appeared a few feet in front of him. His clothes were singed from the scalding water, and he was clearly walking with a slightly limp. "I should kill you on the spot!"

_Should, _Souta's mind whispered, whirling with fear and exhaustion. He didn't aim for the neck, just the legs. _He lied, he can't kill me._

The man picked Souta up by the front of his shirt, and pulled him several feet off the ground.

"I'm gonna kick your scrawny little ass!"

Pulling the spoon from his pocket he thrust it forward as fast as he could towards the hole in the man's mask. He felt the metal object enter and fell to the floor as the man dropped him in fear, clawing at his face.

"You bitch!" shrieked the ninja.

Souta backed up as fast as he could.

The ninja tore off the mask and all he could see was a single green eye glaring at him. He felt paralyzed by it, oppressed. It felt as if the world were pressing down on him. Naruto had once explained it as Killing Intent. Souta shivered and watched the one eyed assassin move ever closer.

"Oi," said a voice that broke the tension.

Souta recognized it instantly.

"Naruto!" he exclaimed.

"What's going on here."

The nearby ANBU cursed and Souta felt the fear return again.

"Naruto! They've kidnapped Kagome and he hurt Sakura! I don't know-"

He felt the one eyed man grab roughly, holding him up and pressing a knife to his throat. His words stilled instantly. He stared at Naruto, almost willing him to understand.

_Please save her!_

"Fucking brat," growled the man angrily. "Take a step forward and I'll kill the kid."

The knife cut a little closer to his neck, and he watched as Naruto looked on, his normally mischievous blue eyes gone and replaced with an angry red glare.

"You hurt him, I'll kill you myself!" Naruto screamed, even as he took a defensive position. Souta wanted to scream. His sister was in danger, why was he stalling like this! What was he thinking! They need to save Kagome!

He couldn't lose her!

"You stupid boy, I'll break you the same as your little pink-haired whore."

He wasn't sure if it was anger or the cold bite of the dagger, but Souta felt a shudder of something darker then he'd ever known growing in his guts.

"You bastard! You're going to regret that." Naruto hissed, gritting his teeth.

"When I fu-"

The words were cut by a strange gurgle. Souta found himself pushed forward by an invisible force even as Naruto rushed to catch him. The world spun, and he looked back to see the ninja bowed down, holding his stomach.

Sasuke stood over him smugly, his black eyes tinted with a strange red.

"Teme! What the hell, I was going to-"

"Where's Sakura?"

"She's at my apartment-"

"Sensei?"

"I don't know-"

"Where's Kagome?"

"I said I don't KNOW! Will you-"

"Is he hurt?"

"Damn it TEME! I'm gonna beat your ass!"

"Like you did him?"

Souta looked between the two and shook his head, not amused.

"Can we argue later? My sister's missing!"

Both of them at least had the decency to look ashamed. Souta pulled himself off the ground, ignoring the groans in his muscles and the rough burns on his body.

Both stared at him for a moment before adopting serious expressions.

"Do you know where they took her?" questioned Sasuke softly.

"No," Souta replied with his head down.

"Then she could be in all of Konoha! How the hell are we gonna find her?" shouted Naruto in exasperation.

"Do you know who took her?" asked Sasuke rationally, trying to analyze the situation.

Souta shook his head in denial.

Naruto growled and made a fist. "This is useless!"

Souta pulled at his hair, almost feeling the time slip away as they argued over ridiculous things. Gods he wished Kakashi were here.

_Stop Souta, no complaining! You need to find your sister, so use your head. Who was your enemy, who had the motivation to try and kidnap people in the middle of the night for no reason?_

"Danzo," Souta whispered darkly. "This has to be connected. Kagome was talking about leaving because of him. It's too much coincidence."

"The Bozo?" questioned Naruto cocking his head to the side. "What would he want with you?"

"I don't know," snapped Souta. "It doesn't even matter, he could be any number of places!"

"Heh," agreed Sasuke with a frown as his red eyes scanned the horizon. He paled distinctly after a moment, taking a defensive form. Naruto picked up on the movement instantly, pushing Souta behind him and turning in the same direction.

"Teme-"

"I know Dobe."

The blonde nodded sharply and they waited in silence for a few more moments, the bent form of the rogue assassin lying still next to them.

Souta tried not to stare at the pool of blood and vomit leaking from it. He focused on Naruto's back and the familiar swirl on his jacket.

"KATON!" Sasuke shouted a moment later, a huge fireball flying from his mouth. A dark figure appeared out of the smoke.

"Oi!" shouted a familiar voice. A relief swept through all three as a one-eyed Kakashi dropped from the overhead buildings into the street. In each arm he carried a bound and gagged ninja. "I got your message Naruto!"

Souta looked at the blonde in confusion.

What message?

The boy made a noise in the back of his throat and that intense black eye swiveled to stare at him. It might have been the light, but a look of relief seemed to sweep over him.

"Where's Kagome?"

Souta looked down, ashamed.

An angry air seemed to settle on the air, and Souta looked up in surprise to see a hard look on the one-eyed ninja's face. With a nod, the man dropped the two ninjas and faced his students.

"Naruto, have your clones alert Tsunade. Though, with all of the noise you've been making, she likely already knows. We're going to ANBU headquarters."

"What about Sakura?" inquired Sasuke softly.

"I've sent some friends to check on her." Kakashi replied mildly, his face angrier then Souta had ever seen it. "Let's go."

And with that, he grabbed Souta with no effort, strong muscles lifting him easily on his back. With a rush of wind, they were gone.


	69. III xxi

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome glared in the silence, each aching second burning more rage then the last. In such complete silence, with no light, no voices, and nothing to occupy herself with, Kagome found herself thinking.

When she got out of this cell, the first thing she was going to do was fry every single one of Danzo's demonic particles with her priestess energies. Then, she would continue down through the building until every last person working for him had felt her wrath.

THEN! When she found that dog, Kakashi, she was going to burn his stupid orange book.

She swore up and down in the darkness, eyes burning.

"DANZO! I hope your listening, because when I get out of here, you're dead meat! If you think for one moment you can just hurt MY little brother, I'm going to beat your ass!"

She focused on the energy deep within her and allowed it to slowly come to the surface. Anywhere it touched her skin, it burned so hotly that she would instantly release her grip, leaving her with an ache deep inside her bones.

She tried again anyways, pulling the energy to the skin beneath her fingernails.

"AHHHH! DANZO, I'm going to break you're ugly face when I get out of here!" she shouted, each failed attempt pushing her to try harder.

Souta was counting on her. And knowing the others, Sakura and Naruto wouldn't be too far behind.

Kagome pulled her powers through her stomach, and gritted her teeth as she doubled over in pain.

There had to be _somewhere_ that she could use her powers that wouldn't be affected. She layered the energy beneath her palms, feeling the massive energy build up. Maybe if she could push it all out at once, just bearing the pain for a moment, she could use the remainder to break whatever powers that had locked her in with.

With a deep breath, she pushed.

And promptly passed out.

When Kagome awoke, her head ached and rang with an invisible sound. Her palms burned and she looked down to find them blistered red and nearly unrecognizable.

"Ugh."

Leaning back against the nearby wall, Kagome breathed deeply, trying to cope with the pain.

_There has to be some way to use my powers without worrying about this_.

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand, and not on Souta chained and stuck to a table as they _experimented_ on him.

_The power burns whenever it touches skin. So there has to be a place on my body that doesn't have any skin._

But her whole body was covered in it!

Tilting her head, Kagome let her hair slide down and cover her face, hoping she could stop the tears that threatened to fall. This felt so hopeless. If InuYasha were here, he'd just pull out his sword and start swinging.

And Kakashi…

Well, she didn't really want to think about him right now.

Running her fingers through her hair, Kagome pulled at a particular knot.

_Wait a minute!_ She thought suddenly, looking cross-eyed at her bangs. _My hair_!

Concentrating on her head, she allowed her energy to pull up through her body. The energy twisted and burned slightly, but it leaked through the hair shafts. Pulling the black hair to her fingers, she noticed at once it was a strange purple hue.

After a moment, the energy disappeared, but she grinned in accomplishment!

She could still use her powers!

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS DANZO!" she shouted triumphantly to the darkness. Now, how to get out of this place?

_If my hair works, maybe I can use my eyes as well?_

Concentrating heavily, she dragged a small amount of sluggish energy towards her eyes. The energy buzzed and burned, causing her eyes to water unnaturally, but she managed to keep a small film up long enough to look around.

The room, instead of darkness, suddenly looked like a dark lake.

What at one point was just blackness, was now interwoven with dark purple. The murky room was rectangular, built with sturdy bricks and a single light hanging uselessly above. On one side, she could make out the rough shape of a door.

Blinking, the sight was replaced by night, and Kagome held her head to comfort the pounding ring running across her forehead.

It felt like horses were marching across her face.

After a few minutes, Kagome kneeled on her hands and knees, wincing at the rough cold against her burning palms. Slowly, as if crawling through swamp, she made her way to where the door was.

"I'll never forgive you for this Danzo," she whispered when she finally made it to the other side.

Leaning her head against the door, Kagome plotted her next move.

How was she going to get out?

Twisting the powers up through her hair again, she carefully took hold of the black strands.

In the darkness, they reminded her of the hair-demoness, Yuri, who she and InuYasha had met very early in their adventures. Maybe if she just concentrated, she could do something similar?

Willing her energy, she pushed it to lengthen, to hold and strengthen.

It hurt!

Squeezing her eyes shut, she directed the hair under the door and kept pushing.

It was a weird sensation, to feel your hair moving on its own accord. It felt like tiny snakes, slithering uselessly.

Bowed beside the door, Kagome wasn't sure how long she knelt there, waiting for something—anything to happen. Tears were now freely rolling down her face, her palms burned with a mixture of blood and sweat, and her head felt as if someone were pulling every single strand of hair out of her head.

What seemed like an eternity later, she heard the tell-tale click, of someone opening the lock.

She opened her eyes and pulled back, only to pull her hair that was clearly knotted and tangled beneath the door.

"What the hell is goin-"

Kagome didn't wait for the guard to finish his sentence. With a rush of adrenaline, she kicked up, nailing the ninja straight in the jaw. Unprepared for the blow, he crumpled instantly. She took the moment to deliver a swift blow to the side of the head, effectively knocking the man out.

With one down, she was sure more would follow soon.

Gently sliding her hair out from underneath the door, she stood up to see the hallway.

She stared in shock at the strange hallway. The dimly lit hall which should have been covered in harsh stone instead was covered in black web-like hair. It carpeted the floor and twisted down the halls.

"Oh dear…"

There was no way she'd ever manage to move all of that, defend herself, and save Souta.

"Well," Kagome muttered as she turned to the fallen ninja. She pulled off his weapons pouch and searched clumsily for a kunai. "I guess I needed a haircut anyways."

Holding a kunai in one hand and a fistful of hair in the other, she sliced cleanly through the strands.

As the hair fell away, she felt suddenly ten times lighter.

It had been years since she'd kept her hair this short. Next, to take care of her palms, she withdrew some of the medicinal cloth from the ninja's vest. She'd seen Sakura fussing at Naruto over it during the tournament, they were supposed to keep it in one of their pockets at all times.

With measure movements, she twisted it around her hands twice tightly.

Satisfied, she stood slowly, hooking the bag to her waist.

Stepping out of the room and into the covered hallway, Kagome turned left, not caring which way she went.

"I'm coming Souta," she said softly, staggering down the hallway. Pulling her powers to the surface, she felt them sizzle beneath the surface. "And Danzo's going to pay."


	70. III xxii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

The building was non-descript and strange. Souta wouldn't have remembered it even if he walked the street multiple times. But looking closely, he could see its tactical advantages. The windows were high, and looked simple enough to open from the inside, but on the outside they seemed untouchable. There were small places throughout the wall that looked like they had been patched over, and the boy wondered what such a secretive society could hide beneath the clearly non-concealed threats.

"We're here," said Kakashi simply. Releasing him, Souta stood wobbly on the ground.

"So she's in there? Doesn't look like much." said Naruto with a rather ugly look. "Don't you worry Souta, we'll rescue Kagome! Believe it!"

"Hnnn," agreed Sasuke as he folded his arms.

Souta, however, disagreed. There could be any number of people inside. And why hadn't the city's black ops interfered yet?

Kakashi, as if reading his expression, frowned towards the rooftops.

"Something must be going on in another part of town." The ninja said softly, gripping Souta by the shoulder. Then a little louder, he looked towards his students. "We need to be careful, there could be any number of traps inside, be on your guard."

With that, Kakashi released Souta's shoulder and moved forward. Naruto followed, quietly handing Souta one of his extra kunai.

The lobby was dark, and clearly unoccupied.

No one made any noises as they walked onward. Kakashi opened a nearby door and moved cautiously inside. Biting his thumb, he made several symbols and summoned three dogs, one Souta was intensely aware of.

"Pakkun," muttered the masked ninja. "Take Naruto, Souta, and Sasuke that way, see if you can find Kagome. You two, spread out and let me know what you find."

Pakkun nodded instantly heading in a certain direction. Souta glanced back once more to watch Kakashi considering him carefully before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Running through the barely lit hallways was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Several times Souta nearly ran into a wall as he tried to take a sharp turn, only to be caught by either Sasuke (who always glared) or Naruto (who'd just laugh humorlessly).

It soon became clear that it was him slowing them all down.

When he nearly tripped over a broken vase, Souta let out a groan of frustration.

"This isn't going to work!" he finally said, his exhaustion apparent. "I'm slowing you down! Just go ahead and I'll wait here."

"No way," cried Naruto in dismay. "We're a team, we don't leave each other behind."

"Yeah, well Kagome needs you more then she needs me!"

Pakkun growled. "We don't have time for this."

Sasuke nodded and crossed his arms.

Naruto looked darkly at the two before turning back to him. Souta stared stubbornly back.

"No," he said roughly, his blue eyes weathered with anger. Souta blinked a little, rarely ever seeing such a serious side. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two Narutos appeared at his side.

One of them grabbed one of Souta's sides, the second took the other.

Naruto glared fiercely at Pakkun.

"Well, are you ready?"

The dog let out an anxious laugh and began to run again, dragging them all through the maze.

After several minutes, the canine stopped.

"Oi!" shouted the blonde darkly. "A little warning would-"

Souta stared in complete awe at the sight ahead.

What had been a stone hallway was now covered in strange, dark, hair-like webs. It was everywhere!

"Dobe!" muttered Sasuke suddenly, from a nearby door. Souta looked over to see a strange guard lying in the doorway. "He isn't dead."

"Do you think Kakashi was here?" questioned Souta softly, still marveling at the strange strands.

"No," Pakkun replied softly. "But the Shikon Priestess was."

"Who?" asked Naruto with a weird expression.

"Kagome," Souta replied darkly. He frowned at the hair, this sounded like a story he had heard once. InuYasha had been bragging about defeating a woman… Something about hair… Why couldn't he remember? "We must be close, how old is her trail?"

The dog grinned with a heavy canine smile.

"An hour maybe, if we hurry, we can still find her."

The three boys grinned at each other. Taking a step forward, they heard a soft groan from behind them. Turning swiftly, they had enough time to see the unconscious ninja pull himself up, and angry expression on his face.

"I'm going to break that bitch."

Souta glared, his hands fisting.

"Yeah, well you'll have to get through us first!" shouted Naruto angrily. He raised his kunai, but Sasuke stepped in front of him.

"I'll take care of him, you two get Kagome."

Naruto looked ready to argue, but Souta dragged him away, seeing Pakkun already moving down the hall.

"Fine!" the boy shouted, blue eyes locking onto Sasuke's red ones. "When this is over, I'm going to beat your ass!

"Whatever Dobe." Sasuke said with a smirk.

_They were so weird…_

"Let's go," Souta replied again. With a tug, this time the blonde followed behind.

In the darkness they ran again.

"We're getting close!" Pakkun shouted as he moved at the front. "Be ready, I smell blood."

Souta felt his stomach cleave with nausea.

_A tiny hand buried in the rubble._

_The stench of blood on the battlefield._

_Burning flesh and distant screams._

"Come on Souta!" Naruto snapped, his face just as pale, a bit of red seeping into his eyes. "There's no time."

Up ahead he could see the light from a large room.

_Time… This time I won't fail_, Souta thought, swallowing the bile that edged along his throat.

Bursting into the room, Souta nearly stumbled at the scene. Cornered Kagome had somehow acquired a bow and was quickly releasing multiple arrows at time towards the three ninja ahead. Unfortunately, only one out of every ten arrows seemed to make their target.

"KAGOME!" Naruto shouted as he rammed straight into the nearest ninja head first. Kagome looked up just in time to lock eyes with him, before all of his instincts made him duck beneath a nearby table.

He glanced back to find a ninja star where he'd been standing a moment before.

Rolling from beneath the table, he grabbed Naruto's kunai and held it out, adopting the defensive stance Kakashi had taught him not so long ago.

A large man, nearly three times his size, headed straight towards him.

Jumping back, he pooled the chakra into his feet and quickly leapt forward. The large man, who hadn't expected anything out of the civilian boy, couldn't stop in time, and Souta took advantage of the surprise.

"KYAAA!" he shouted, dragging the kunai through the man's shoulder flesh.

Blood sprayed in the air, and the familiar metallic scent was in the air again. He pushed off the large man's back and dove for the floor. This time the man was ready, and he turned kicking Souta in the gut and vaulting him across the room into a nearby wall.

"SOUTA!"

The resounding crack echoed through his entire body, and Souta struggled to breath, much less pull himself out of the ninja's way. Gasping, the large man grabbed his head, pulling him up by his hair.

Souta struggled.

The man sneered and threw him again, this time against the table he had hid under earlier.

The wood splintered under his weight, and he could feel the splinters embedding themselves in his back. If he had any breath left, he might have cried. As it was all he could do was lie there.

"RASENGAN!"

He heard a nearby roar and crash.

"NARUTO!"

Kagome's scream echoed throughout the building. He managed to turn just enough to see her grab an arrow and charge the huge man that was slamming Naruto continually into the floor. She pushed the arrow deep in the man's fat stomach and screamed.

He released Naruto immediately and lit up, his mouth opening in a silent shout.

A blur passed between them, and it took Souta a moment to see his sister held in the arms of one of the two forgotten ninja.

"Damn you! Ichi! Shit, Ichi!"

The second ninja, just outside of Souta's vision could be heard cussing darkly.

"I told him you weren't worth the trouble, you damn witch!"

Souta struggled to breathe, to move, to do anything because he knew exactly where this was going. He had to save her. Kagome! KAGOME!

"Kagome," he whispered.

The man holding his sister let out a sudden shout when she bit down on his arm, making it glow strangely pink. Releasing her immediately, he shifted to the other side of the room.

"Screw Danzo," the second voice said, nasally. "Your arms turning blue, she's too dangerous. We still have the boy."

He could hear agreement in the first man's voice and fought more harshly to stand.

"Die!" shouted one of the men, and he could feel the pressure from the oncoming jutsu rising. Then, with a sudden burst of heat a giant ball of fire roared towards the place his sister laid. The fire scorched his face and blinded his eyes.


	71. III xxiii

Becoming Higurashi

Jessylane318

Kagome slowly opened her eyes.

A pair of mismatched colors stared back. Her heart fluttered and breath hitched as those strong arms tightened against her back and knees. Then she was on the floor, shoved next to Souta, who was struggling to breathe.

Shivering, Kagome collapsed against the remains of a table. Some shards of glass wedged themselves uncomfortably in her hips, but she felt numb to it. Her entire body felt as though it had shut down.

She struggled to think.

Kakashi slunk forward with perfect practice, deflecting different weapons and aiming with much more accuracy. Naruto had managed to crawl out of his crater, and was looking furious. His red rimmed eyes met hers and he licked his lips, appearing more demonic then shinobi.

"Heh, Kakashi," laughed one of the two men left. "I was sure you'd be with the others, dealing with the Sound 4. Or that pink-haired brat, I got a glance at her, she looked pretty critical."

"You bastard," grunted Naruto as he released a large amount of demonic energy. Kagome shivered and felt her taxed priestess powers rising to her skin. She could feel Souta shaking from the increased pressure.

She took her eyes off the battle and stared at her little brother who she hadn't seen in so long. The source of this entire mess. Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true.

This had all been her fault, it had been three, almost four years, since she'd fallen down that bone-eaters well. She'd met so many people, created so many friendships, faced countless enemies, and somewhere along the way, she'd forgotten about her first family. She'd forgotten about Souta, and staring at him now, she could hardly recognize him.

His hair was longer, and she brushed it with her fingers, trembling and pale against the dark strands.

Kakashi raced forward, weapons clinking in the darkness. Naruto bellowed some attack and swirl of light and wind swirled into his opponent.

But for some reason, she couldn't care. She watched as Souta's chest labored with each breath, and all she could do was cry, cradling his head. She hadn't been able to protect him.

"Souta," she whispered, licking her dry, cracking lips. He managed to turn his soft eyes towards her, and she smiled tenderly through the tears. "You're gonna be okay."

He heaved and closed his eyes.

"Kagome…"

His voice sounded odd, like he was talking through a straw. Some blood was leaking through his lips, trailing down his chin. Her eyes widened, realizing something was wrong.

"Oh, Souta!" ignoring her own fatigue and the battle still raging, she pressed her hands to his chest and immediately recognized the problem. Broken ribs and a punctured lung. He was drowning in his own fluids.

She pulled for her powers, but they were sluggish and nearly unresponsive. She pulled more desperately and tried to concentrate harder, but her ears had yet to stop ringing and the world's colors were starting to blur. She laid her head on his chest and prayed, working with all of her might.

Had they gone through all of this to get back together, only to fail here?

There were so many things she needed to tell him. She hadn't realized how much she had forgotten him. She hadn't realized how much worry she had caused him.

"Souta, please, hold on," she muttered, feeling the feeble heart beat with every wispy breath.

"Sis…" the boy croaked. She cried harder, cursing her powers as they refused to work in this critical moment. She had somehow managed to close the lungs, but they were still about a quarter filled, and he was growing pale. If he didn't drown, he'd bleed out.

"It's okay," she sobbed, slicing her arm on the large broken pot stuck in his jacket.

"I… love you…"

Then he coughed, but he didn't breathe in again. She panicked.

"Souta!"

He was still, and his lips were turning blue.

No no no no no no no no no…

"No, no…"

Her fingers shook as the grabbed his chest and compressed, piercing the lung again as she tried to get him to breathe.

"SOUTA!"

Something pulled her away, and she clawed to get back to him. But something firm and strong held her tightly. A black suited person stepped in front of her, obscuring her vision.

She twisted around, arm flying in front of her, and slapped Kakashi in the mouth. Her fingers left a sharp red mark on his face, his head turned to the side.

He snapped back to stare at her and she glared fiercely.

"Let me go!"

Those mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No."

She tried to pull away and the arms held her desperately still. She struggled angrily, feeling a sudden burst of energy.

"LET ME GO!" she shouted, trying helplessly to run.

"Kagome-"

"Kakashi," interrupted someone behind her. "We need to finish this."

"Of course," the ninja said. He gave her an unreadable expression, and she struggled with the emotions twisting in her gut. He released one of her arms, and steadied her with the other. Pulling her close, he crushed her to his small, masculine frame. She felt something pinch her neck and the world darkened into a hazy silence.


End file.
